Elements
by Michonyx
Summary: The Cullens adopt an unusual pair of vegetarian newborns on the run from their maker.  After Embry and Seth imprint on the newcomers, will the resulting bond be strong enough to protect everyone they love?
1. Prologue: First Sight

This is my first Twilight fanfic, and my first first fanfic period. It's set just over six months after the end of Breaking Dawn and will focus on the four-way relationship between Embry, Seth, and two original male characters. Most of the major characters from the Twilight books will be featured and I will keep as close to their original personalities as possible. This will be a slash story between four male characters, so if man-on-man isn't your thing, you'll probably want to avoid it. Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and graphic love scenes.

Author's Note: Some of the characters will be using sign language and/or telepathic communication in this story. Dialogue in sign language will be designated by the use of brackets and telepathic communication will be distinguished by the use of italics.

Disclaimer: The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer and I will do my best to treat them with respect and humility. I own nothing except my OC's and stand to gain nothing from this story.

Elements

Prologue: First Sight

Alice opened her eyes and rose from her seat, turning toward the window. The view was particularly beautiful today. It was just as she'd seen in her visions over the past three weeks. She walked to the window and crossed her arms. Edward, Jasper, and Bella found her there several minutes later.

"What did you see?" Edward asked. He'd already seen the visions in Alice's mind, but the others needed to hear it for themselves.

Alice turned to them, seeming to stare off into space for a few more seconds before blinking and returning to the present. She looked at Edward and said, "We're going to have company in a few hours. A pair of vampires like us."

"Could it be Tanya and the rest of the Denalis?" Bella asked.

"No," Alice said. "These vampires are barely a year old and yet they've never tasted human blood. They're just wandering for the time being, trying to find a haven."

Jasper frowned and wrapped one arm around Alice's shoulders. "What would they need a haven for? Surely if they've maintained their control this long, they won't revert to typical newborn behavior."

"They're running from something or someone," Alice said. "I can't be more specific than that."

"Bella's still a newborn and she's hardly typical," Edward said. Turning to Alice, he said, "Any idea when they'll arrive?"

"They reached the county line a couple of hours ago. After that, they disappeared from my sight." Alice shuddered and continued, "You know what that means." She didn't need to elaborate; it meant that the new arrivals were about to have an encounter with some or all of the La Push wolves and whenever the shapeshifters were involved, her vision went dark.

Edward and Jasper sighed at the same time as Bella said, "If these new vampires are really like us, then we have to let the wolves know. It might help us avoid a messy situation."

"Possibly, but there's no way to know for sure just how the Uley pack will react," Jasper said. "They may have accepted Jacob imprinting on Nessie, but their innate dislike of vampires in general is as strong as ever. They might not stop to listen to any explanations."

"Be that as it may, we have to tell them," Edward said. "I'll call Sam and Jacob and explain the situation. When do you see them arriving?" The question was directed at Alice.

"In the next couple of hours, but I can't see exactly how they're going to get here," she said. "Maybe that points to a favorable outcome." She paused for a moment and then said, "You might want to take Nessie back to the cottage before they get here."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Because our guests are male and they're not the shy type. To say nothing of how Nessie is SO not ready for that particular anatomy lesson." Alice shook her head to dislodge that image and directed her next words to Edward. "When you call the wolves, make sure to tell them that these new vampires are vegetarians. That may help keep things calm."

"All right," Edward said and he dashed off to make the call. Alice turned to Bella and Jasper.

"In the meantime, the rest of us will get things ready for our new family members." Their eyes widened at that. "I know," Alice said. "That bit surprised me too."

**Author's note: **Well, that's the first chapter. Things will get a little more exciting in the next chapter when I introduce my OMC's. This story has been brewing for a while now and I'm glad to finally get some of it out of my head and onto the page. Please read and review. Any comments and/or constructive criticism will be welcome. :)


	2. Chapter 1:  First Encounter, Part 1

Here's the second chapter, where I introduce my OMC's. These two have a complicated history and they're going to have quite a rocky road ahead of them. Also, this is one of those segments with a steamy love scene, so if M/M action isn't your thing, please do not read any further. You've been warned. :)

Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes

Disclaimer: The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 1: First Encounter, Part 1

Tyson sat on the sand, forearms resting on his knees, waiting for David to emerge from the water. The sand felt slightly warm under his bare ass and between his toes, but that was to be expected when one's body temperature was on par with ice water.

He scanned the rolling waves with his gold-colored eyes, trying to catch some sign of his raven-haired mate. It worried him when David stayed underwater for longer than five minutes, but the smaller boy enjoyed swimming and loved not having to come up for air. And when swimming could be combined with hunting, he was especially happy.

They had fed well this time, finding a couple of great white sharks. Tyson had gotten down to business and finished his meal in under four minutes, but David liked to play with his food. Tyson had watched him wrestle with the shark for a few minutes and almost died again from fright when the beast came within inches of sinking its teeth into David's thigh. One good bite and they would've had to drag it ashore and perform some exploratory surgery to get the limb back. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. David had tired of the game and gone in for the kill while Tyson headed back up to wait for him.

David was right. They'd needed this. They couldn't stay hidden in their sanctuary forever; they needed to be out in the world, moving as part of it. And moving around was a good way to hide; their enemies would have a harder time finding them if they kept on the road.

Tyson closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it. He didn't want to think about the vampires who'd taken them. That was one memory he would've gladly erased if he could have. But to quote an overused cliché, what was done was done, and there was no changing it now.

This was a good place to rest for a little while. Tyson had learned the name of this little community by scanning the minds of several locals. La Push...it was an unusual and beautiful name. There weren't any other vampires in the immediate area and he was grateful for that. They'd had unbelievable luck in avoiding red-eyes thus far and he didn't want to jinx it by considering the possibility of meeting any.

A loud splashing sound caught his attention and he opened his eyes to see David erupt from the water and dive back down. There was a huge grin on his face as he made like the shark he'd just fed on and made a beeline for the shore. Tyson couldn't help grinning himself as he watched. David couldn't speak, couldn't vocalize his feelings, but his mischievous grin and optimism never failed to lift Tyson's spirits. Right now, he could pick up glee and a slow-burning desire in David's mind. He lowered his telepathic shield and basked in the warm glow of his mate's joy in simply being alive.

David stood as soon as the water was shallow enough and waded to shore, the moonlight making his pale skin gleam like polished marble. Tyson's breath caught in his throat as his eyes moved up and down the slim swimmer's body, lingering for a moment on his half-hard member. He lifted his gaze to David's eyes and found them smoldering with barely restrained desire. Tyson felt a growl of arousal build in his throat and he reached one hand out to his mate.

In an inhuman blur of speed, David was on Tyson, straddling his hips and kissing him with all the passion in his body. Tyson could hear what the smaller boy was thinking.

_Mmmmmm... _David moaned without making a sound, rubbing his leaking cock on Tyson's ridged abs and leaving a sticky residue on the golden brown skin. _God, I love you so much, _he thought. _I just wish I could actually say it._

_You do, baby, _Tyson thought back. _You say it every day, in a thousand little ways. _He gasped as David's fingers hit a particularly sensitive spot.

_I know. It's just that sometimes I want to say it out loud. _There was a touch of melancholy longing in the statement, but it was quickly squashed by their rising hormones. It could wait till they were finished; right now, they needed to work off their excess energy. Tyson groaned as David wrapped his arms around the larger boy's neck and rubbed himself a little harder on his abs.

"Mmmmmm..." Tyson had to hug him tight to keep him from moving so much. Sometimes David had so much energy that he would come dangerously close to breaking pieces off both of their bodies. This was one of those times.

_Nnnnnnnn... _David's lips were sealed to his and their tongues were wrapped around each other. Tyson sucked on the eager muscle invading his mouth and growled low in his chest. He knew that the sound would stoke his mate's fire and drive him crazy. He rolled on top of David, pinning the smaller boy to the sand and grinding his cock in the crease of his hip. The mental moans grew louder in Tyson's head as David reacted to his touch.

He moved down David's body, planting small kisses in random spots. The smaller boy arched his back, trying to push more of his hypersensitive skin against Tyson's lips. Tyson could feel David's reactions in his mind and through his skin. David was shivering with pleasure, the vibrations becoming more noticeable. Tyson looked up at him and grinned before taking David's rock-hard shaft down his throat.

David gasped as Tyson swallowed his cock down to the base. He started to move, wanting to push himself further down. Tyson held him still and thought, _Keep still, baby. I know what you want, but you need to be patient._

_Oh, fuck patience! _David thought back. His body was humming like an overloading transformer, pleasure sparking along his nerves and making his muscles jerk and twitch. Every cell was trying to cram itself into Tyson's mouth. He grabbed two handfuls of his lover's hair and started pulling on it in a vain attempt to increase the pace.

_Patience, _Tyson reminded him. David swore he could hear smugness in the thought. Tyson knew that he was driving him crazy and was milking it for all it was worth. And speaking of milking...

His toes curled as Tyson's tongue hit that one spot on the underside of the head and his mouth opened wide in a silent scream. Trying to hold still was next to impossible, especially when all he wanted was to fuck Tyson's mouth til he blasted off. But he did it anyway. He wrapped his legs around Tyson's shoulders and went as still as a vampire could manage.

Tyson took his time, taking David to the edge and pulling him back several times. It caused the smaller vampire no end of frustration when he did this and it was a great pleasure for them both. The string of colorful curse words and highly improbable execution scenarios parading through his head were particularly entertaining.

After about fifteen minutes, Tyson figured he'd tortured David enough for one session. So he did what always flipped his mate's switch: he slid three fingers into David's ass and proceeded to stroke his hot spot from the inside.

The pleasure overwhelming him, David squeezed his eyes shut and his mouth opened as wide as it could. His cock flexed and pulsed as he shot a veritable waterfall of icy cum down Tyson's throat. For his part, the larger vampire swallowed it all, careful not to waste a single drop of the precious fluid. It went on like this for nearly a full minute. When it was over, David collapsed onto the sand, his chest heaving as he came down from the orgasmic high. He arched his back and stretched like a contented cat as Tyson let go of the pale organ.

"See what happens when you're patient?" he said, favoring David with a smirk. He moved up the lithe body and kissed him. _Good God, I never get tired of kissing you._

David moaned as he tasted his own juices on Tyson's lips. He wrapped his legs around his lover's waist and squeezed tight, bringing their bodies together. He lifted his hips and bucked up into Tyson's body, grinding his cheeks on the rigid shaft poking his hole. Tyson moaned into David's mouth and his hips pushed forward of their own accord, sinking three inches of his cock into the tight orifice.

_Ooooh, YES, _David thought. _More... _He pushed up harder, working another couple of inches into his chute.

Tyson's breathing was getting ragged already. If David didn't hold still, he wouldn't get the royal pounding he was so desperate for. It was a monumental task trying to instill patience in him, but Tyson kept right on with it; he knew that it would be worth all the aggravation in the end.

_Speaking of ends... _ He was finally buried in David's eager body and he flexed his rod, stretching the sensitive tissues in interesting ways. David shivered and bit down on his shoulder, the mark disappearing almost immediately. One good thing about being a vampire was instantaneous healing. Tyson had lost count of how many times David had bitten him since they were turned.

He shook off the sting of the venom and proceeded to fuck his lover with the force of a jackhammer. Their telepathic link was soon filled with the sounds and thoughts that David was never able to say out loud. He could think the filthiest things while in the throes of passion, to say nothing of how his body could play Tyson like a master pianist.

Tyson gasped as David's inner muscles wrapped tight around him, massaging the oversensitive flesh. He wouldn't be able to hold out much longer; David knew his body too well, knew where to touch and how hard. This was his usual revenge for the drawn-out blowjob: trying to make Tyson cum before he was ready. The only proper response was to slow down so that neither of them popped too soon. It would drive David crazy and help Tyson last longer.

David was moving with him now, thrusting his hips up and clenching his opening tight. The T-link buzzed like a disconnected phone line as they blew at the same time, Tyson dumping his load inside David's chute and David releasing on his heaving belly. Tyson collapsed on top of David, nearly crushing the smaller vampire under his weight. Their lips met in a slow kiss, their hands moving along each other's bodies as they came down from their mutual pleasure.

Tyson rolled onto his back, pulling his rod free of David's hole with a small popping sound. David gasped as the move left him suddenly empty and he snuggled up to Tyson's side, molding his body to the massive wall of muscle beside him. He curled one arm across Tyson's stomach and lay his head on the cool slab of flesh that comprised his lover's chest. He smiled and felt his heart swell with love as Tyson wrapped his arms around him. It couldn't have been more perfect if God himself had orchestrated it.

_Mmmmm...that was wonderful, _he thought. He moved up onto Tyson's body, straddling the muscled body and resting his hands on Tyson's chest. He started tracing random patterns on the pale brown skin with his fingertips, brushing the stiff nipples every other second.

_Yes, it was, _Tyson replied. _But that's not what you're wanting to talk about. What's on your mind? _He sighed in contentment as David's fingers moved over his chest.

David watched his fingers move on Tyson's skin for a few moments, trying to find the right way to phrase his thoughts. He knew that Tyson would understand even if he couldn't find the words, but he wanted to get this right.

_You remember that feeling I had a few weeks ago? The one that told me we should leave our sanctuary?_

Tyson frowned a little and nodded. _Yeah. You said we had to go so that we could find our destiny. You never did explain exactly what you meant by that._

_I know, _David said. _I couldn't explain because I didn't understand what it meant. But the closer we got to this place, the more certain I became that we're about to find it. _He laced his fingers together and lay down on top of Tyson, resting his chin on his hands. _Whatever we need to find, it's here. We might not find it right away, but we have to stay until we do._

Tyson heaved a sigh and sat up, holding David tight as he scooted backward til his back was resting against a large piece of driftwood. He laced his fingers together on the small of David's back and looked into his large golden eyes. _You're sure that this is the place?_

David nodded and he ran a fingertip along Tyson's jaw. _Yes._

_All right then. _He shivered at the contact, feeling his shaft start to swell again. _We'll wait til sunset tomorrow and then start our search. _His hands disentangled from each other and moved down to cup David's ass.

David smiled and wrapped his arms around Tyson's neck. _Sounds good to me. How will we keep busy til then? _The lascivious smile on his face indicated that he already knew the answer.

The smile was mirrored on Tyson's face and he was about to make good on his unspoken promise when a low rumble filled the air. They turned to see where the sound was coming from and their eyes widened in shock as they found themselves surrounded by six of the largest wolves they'd ever seen.

**Author's Note: Ending on a cliffhanger...gotta love it. This chapter was starting to run a little long, so I decided to split it into two parts. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If so, please read and review. I'm hoping for ten reviews before the next chapter is posted, if possible. I'd love to know what people think of it. Til next time. :)**


	3. Chapter 2:  First Encounter, Part 2

**Author's note: **Okay, the story is doing well so far. I'm glad that some of you like it. As for the title change, that's due to an epiphany I had concerning one of the themes in the story and I'll clarify it in a later chapter. In this chapter, Tyson and David will meet the packs and find a couple of things they didn't know they were looking for. As always, rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes.

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except for my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 2: First Encounter, Part 2

Jacob Black took in the sight in front of him: a pair of vampires, both male, one big and muscled with blond hair that reached past his shoulders and the other one, smaller with waist-length black hair that just barely protected his modesty. Jacob and his pack had arrived some time ago, but he'd decided to let the vamps finish their tryst before making an appearance. If there was one thing he could understand and appreciate, it was love, and these vamps obviously cared a great deal about each other.

The big one wasted no time. He pushed the smaller one behind him and assumed a defensive posture, crouching forward and baring his teeth. The small one looked around at the wolves surrounding them, taking in their numbers. He laid a hand on the big one's shoulder, as if to hold him in place. Jacob appreciated the gesture, but he knew that nothing would stop the big one if he decided to attack.

_All right, _he said, addressing the members of his pack. _Nobody make any sudden moves. Edward and Alice said that they're not here to cause trouble. No need to start any unless it's absolutely unavoidable._

_Okay, Jake, _Seth said. His cheerful disposition was intact and running at full strength. Jacob couldn't help but smile to himself; the kid was good at his job, and he was happier than he'd ever been since he and Embry had imprinted on each other right after New Year's. Why the imprint hadn't happened sooner was anyone's guess, but it had and the two were pretty much joined at the hip. Although it could get pretty nauseating when they started cuddling.

For his part, Embry kept silent. He found himself staring at the vampires, taking in every detail. He'd assumed the position of Second after Leah had left La Push and he took his duties seriously. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about these bloodsuckers that appealed to him; he could also tell through the link he shared with Seth that the younger wolf felt the same way. It was if the vamps had become the center of the world. _Oh, shit... _He groaned as he realized what had happened.

_What's the matter, Em? _Quil asked. The chocolate-brown wolf nudged his friend and brother with his shoulder, doing his best to maintain a jocular tone and mostly succeeding.

_I think Seth and I just imprinted on them, _Embry said.

That got Jacob's attention. _Are you certain?_

_Yeah, _Embry said. _It's kinda hard to misinterpret the signs._

_Is that even possible? _Devin Redwind asked. He and his twin brother Daniel had phased for the first time three months back and opted to join Jacob's pack. _I mean, two guys imprinting on each other is weird enough. But to imprint on a pair of leeches without the first bond breaking? There's gotta be a rule against that. _He shook his head a few times as if trying to shake the image from his mind.

_Give 'em a break, Dev, _Daniel said. Daniel was more laid-back than Devin and therefore less prone to blowing a gasket over the little stuff. He was good at keeping his brother's temper in check. _Imprinting is involuntary; it's not something we can control. And it's not like we know _everything _there is to know about it. There's bound to be stuff that our ancestors never anticipated. I mean, look at Jake's situation. I bet he never thought he'd imprint on a vampire/human hybrid._

Jacob had to agree with him there. If anyone had told him a year ago that he would imprint on his best friend's half-vampire daughter, he'd have laughed and then drop-kicked them to Port Angeles. Such had been his state of mind concerning the Cullens.

"Hybrid?"

That one word, spoken in a soft Cajun accent, brought the wolves' attention back to the matter at hand. The big vamp was frowning, a puzzled expression on his face. "A vampire/human hybrid? How...?" he said. "And what the hell is imprinting?"

Jacob's eyes widened as he realized what must have happened. The vamp was a mind reader like Edward. He'd just heard everything they'd been talking about.

The sound of thudding paws filled the air as three more wolves joined the first group. Sam, Jared, and Paul came to a stop a few feet away from Jacob; he turned to look at the black wolf, filling him in on the situation in a matter of seconds.

_Have they hurt anyone? _Sam asked.

_No, _Jacob said. _Alice had a vision a few hours ago. She said that these two would be showing up and that they weren't here to harm anyone. So far they haven't made any aggressive moves._

_Good, _Paul said. _That'll make it easier to take them apart._

The big vamp turned toward Paul and narrowed his eyes, anger replacing confusion. He clenched his fists and leaned forward. The small vamp grabbed onto his biceps and tugged on his arm, trying to pull him back. The big one looked at his companion. "What am I supposed to do, Dav?" he asked. "That gray one wants to rip us to pieces!" His words caught all of the wolves by surprise.

The small one – Dav – shook his head, his golden eyes wide. Jacob could practically see the fear radiating off of him. This vamp didn't want to fight and he was trying to keep his lover from getting hurt or killed.

It took all of two seconds for Jacob to make up his mind. _Sam, could you please tell Paul to cool it? You got the same call that I did. You know they're not going to kill any of us. _He turned his attention back to the vampires and locked eyes with the big one. He yipped to make sure he had the vamp's attention and proceeded with his not-quite plan.

_Can you hear me?_ he asked. The big vamp nodded.

_Okay, _Jacob said. _We're not going to hurt you. We got a call from some friends a while ago that alerted us to your presence on our land. We were told that you didn't feed on humans and that you were just passing through. Is that true?_

"Yes," the vamp said. "In case you're interested, my name is Tyson and this is my lover, David."

The smaller vampire bowed slightly as he was introduced, a smile on his face. Jacob couldn't help thinking that Tyson had his hands full with that one.

Tyson chuckled. "You're more right than you know," he said. "And in case you haven't figured it out, I can read your minds. Although I never expected wolves to be so intelligent or so..._large._"

_And we never expected to be having a talk with a pair of naked vampires on our beach. Life is just full of surprises. _Jacob chuckled, the sound coming out somewhere between a bark and a cough. _Speaking of which, get ready for a big one. _He closed his eyes, concentrating for a moment, then reared up on his hind legs and phased back to his human form.

Tyson and David's reaction was priceless. Their jaws dropped and their eyes widened comically. Clearly they'd never seen anything like this before. David scrubbed at his eyes and blinked to make sure nothing was obstructing his vision. The two looked at each other and back at Jacob.

"Weird, huh? All the wolves around you right now are just like me," Jacob said. "We're the latest generation of protectors for this land. It's our duty to guard La Push and its people from the Cold Ones. Thankfully, there are exceptions to that." He grinned and took a step toward them. Tyson and David took a step back. Jacob stopped and stayed put. It was understandable; after his little demonstration, they'd want to keep their distance for the time being. So he stood up straight, hands behind his back, and waited for them to say something.

_OH...MY...GOD..._ That was pretty much the only thing going through David's head at that moment.

Tyson couldn't blame him. It wasn't every day that a person ran into a pack of giant wolves, much less one that turned into a stunning young man. The boy was as tall as Tyson and just as built. Aside from the skin, hair, and eyes, the two of them could almost be mistaken for brothers.

_Just let me do the talkin', _he thought. That earned him a narrow look from David. Rolling his eyes, Tyson thought, _You know what I mean._

"It's customary to begin a conversation by introducing oneself," he said. "I've already told you our names. What are yours?"

"I'm Jacob Black," Jacob said. "This black wolf is Sam Uley." Said wolf shimmered like a mirage and resolved into another man a little smaller than the first. Tyson could feel the same whisper of power running through both of them and determined that they were the leaders of the group.

Moving around the circle, Jacob introduced each of the wolves. "Quil Ateara." A chocolate-brown wolf. "Embry Call." A gray wolf with black spots on its back. "Seth Clearwater." A wolf with sandy-colored fur. "Devin and Daniel Redwind." A pair of russet-and-grey wolves morphed into identical twins. "Jared Cameron." A brown wolf with serious eyes. "And Paul Lahote." The dark-grey wolf who had threatened to take Tyson and David apart. Each wolf pulled on a pair of shorts after they shifted to their human form. When the introductions were over, Jacob, Tyson, and David were the only ones still naked.

"There are several others running patrol right now," Jacob said. "If you like, you could meet them later. Under controlled conditions, of course."

"Of course," Tyson agreed. It was the smart thing to do. Right now there was no reason for a fight, even though Paul was spoiling for one. Still, it was wise of Jacob to limit contact for the time being, the better to minimize the risk of anyone getting dismembered.

In the meantime, David had taken a couple of steps toward Embry and Seth. He seemed entranced by the pair, so much so that he completely ignored Paul's low growl. Tyson licked his lips as he studied them. His skin started tingling and a familiar sensation moved through his heart. The last time he'd been affected like this, he and David had realized that they were mates. To be feeling the same bond toward two strangers, two non-vampires...it should've been impossible.

David kept moving til he was only a step away from Seth. They studied each other for a moment, and then David reached one hand out and slowly drew one fingertip along Seth's jawline. Tyson felt the blazing heat of the wolf-boy's skin through the T-link and wondered how his companion didn't catch fire just from that simple touch.

For his part, Seth shivered at the contact, the cold raising goosebumps on his skin. Being touched like this by a vampire...it wasn't something he'd considered before laying eyes on these two. It didn't feel bad, just a little...weird. He felt a little self-conscious because of the honey-colored eyes studying his face. He'd only ever seen that expression of adoration on Embry's face. He turned to look at his imprint and saw that Embry was watching them with mingled love and confusion. He understood why: For whatever reason, the imprint had changed, expanding to include the vampires. It would take time to sort out all the new emotions.

David turned his attention to Embry next. He stepped over to the slender boy and laid a hand on his chest. The heartbeat was steady and strong and it skipped a beat as David touched him. The vampire seemed mesmerized by the contrast of his snow-white skin on Embry's russet-toned flesh. His hand started moving down, but he came to his senses before he could embarrass anyone. He stepped back, looked from Embry to Seth and back again several times, and finally turned and flitted back to Tyson's side. He had an ear-to-ear grin as he looked up at Tyson.

_Ty, you remember what we were talking about before we were interrupted?_

_Of course I do, _Tyson replied. _Hard to forget since it was just ten minutes ago._

David's grin got wider as he continued. _I don't think we'll have to wait til sunset tomorrow to find what we were looking for._

_Why not? _Tyson asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

His suspicions were confirmed with David's next statement. _Because they found us first, _the smaller vampire said.

Apparently their silent communication was getting on Paul's nerves. "What the hell are you two doing?" He stomped up to Tyson and got in the vampire's face. "You've been doing all the talking since we found you trespassing. Why is that? Doesn't he have anything to add to the conversation?" He punctuated the question with a glowering look.

Tyson remained the very soul of composure as he answered Paul's question. "The reason that David hasn't said anything is because he can't. He's been mute his whole life because he was born without vocal cords." He took a step forward, invading Paul's personal space. "Is that enough of an answer, or do I have to smack you around til it sinks in?"

Paul bristled and made like he was about to punch Tyson, but Sam stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Paul, enough," he said. To Tyson, he said, "I'm sorry for his remarks. I'm sure he didn't mean to be so insensitive." He gripped Paul's arm and pulled him away from the vampires.

"It's all right," Tyson said. "You had no way of knowing. It's not something we advertise." Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he turned back to Jacob. "Now, who are Alice and Edward, and why are you taking their word that we're not dangerous?"

"I'm not sure I could explain it very well," Jacob said. Tyson doubted that. Jacob seemed intelligent and articulate, if a little rough around the edges. "It'd be best if the Cullens explained it themselves. We can take you to them if you want. They're vegetarians, like you."

Tyson frowned a little, not understanding the statement. "Vegetarians?"

"It's their little joke," Seth said. Tyson turned to him and the smaller wolf continued. "Basically it means that they don't drink human blood. And they have yellow eyes like you and David."

Tyson and David's eyes widened as they took in this information. The two looked at each other for a moment, discussing the situation in the T-link and coming to a decision in a split second. Turning to Jacob again, Tyson said, "Yes, I think we'd like to meet the Cullens. If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"It won't be," the shifter said. "They're already expecting you." He grinned as if he was the only one who understood the punchline to a really funny joke.

"Okay," Tyson said. _What kind of insane asylum did we stumble into? _"We just need to get dressed and we'll be ready to go. And maybe on the way, you could explain the imprinting thing." He turned and headed to the small cave where he and David had stashed their backpacks.

David trotted up beside him and flashed a question in his mind.

Tyson smiled as he answered. "I was thinking that this place just got very interesting. And we're about to find out just HOW interesting."

**Author's Note: **This chapter ran a little long, but it decided to be merciful and provided me with a nice cut-off point. Sometimes a story gains a life of its own and just drags you along for the ride. In any event, things will start to pick up in the next chapter. And I promise that Embry and Seth will become more prominent. This story IS about them and these new vampires, after all. Please read and review. Thanks! :D


	4. Chapter 3:  First Impressions

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for your encouraging words. This story has been percolating in my head for weeks now. It's only in the last ten days or so that I worked up enough courage to actually get it out of my head and into everybody else's heads. I love books and reading and I want to nurture that same love in as many people as possible. That being said...In the last chapter, I used Jared and Paul's last names. I found them in The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. This book has proven to be an invaluable resource and is a must-have for any Twilight fan's bookshelf. Now that that's out of the way... :)

**Author's Note #2: **David and Tyson will be using sign language in this chapter. The dialogue will be distinguished by the use of these: :: .

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 3: First Impressions

It took all of five seconds for Tyson to fix David's hair into a braid and the two of them to get dressed in tank tops and cutoffs. They strapped on their backpacks and headed to rejoin the wolves. In the short time the vampires had been gone, all of the wolves except for Jacob, Embry, and Seth had returned to their patrol routes. It was just the five of them on the beach now. Tyson was grateful for that; he didn't think he'd have been able to keep from decking Paul for much longer.

"Ready to go?" Jacob asked. Tyson and David nodded.

"Good. I'll lead the way, you two will be right behind me, and Embry and Seth will bring up the rear." He phased and landed heavily on all fours. Embry and Seth phased as well and the quintet got under way.

The forest whipped by in a blur as they ran. They easily dodged every tree and hurdled every obstacle, the vampires keeping pace with the wolves. Along the way, Embry and Seth filled David and Tyson in on the specifics of imprinting. It made for a fascinating discussion, with Tyson providing a four-way T-link so they could talk.

_So Ty and I are pretty much your whole world now? _David asked.

_Uh huh, _Seth said.

_This situation is unique, _Embry said. _To the best of our knowledge, there's never been a four-way imprint before. We're in uncharted territory here._

_Please! You and I were in uncharted territory when we imprinted on each other, _Seth said. The laughter was evident in his tone and Tyson couldn't help chuckling as well. The sandy-furred wolf had an infectious optimism not unlike David's, and he seemed better able to tolerate so-called "vegetarian" vampires than most of his packmates. Tyson was looking forward to getting to know him better.

Embry, on the other hand, was reserved almost to the point of terminal shyness. He'd had almost nothing to say outside of the topic under discussion and was trying not to stare too openly at Tyson and David. He was uneasy about what had happened even though the two vampires had accepted the imprint. Tyson could see something of himself in Embry: a young man who took his guardianship duties seriously and would do what was necessary to fulfill those duties. Tyson hoped that David's extroverted nature could help bring the spotted wolf out of his shell; such a kind heart needed to find more joy in life or risk being broken, possibly beyond repair.

Jacob started to slow down and the others followed suit. Tyson could see their destination now: a white three-story house with a wraparound porch and windows that looked as if they could have doubled as doors. Whoever these Cullens were, it looked as if they had money to burn.

There was a flutter of movement at one window and Tyson caught a glimpse of spiky black hair and a single amber-colored eye before their owner disappeared. He also got an excited thought – _They're here! _– and he couldn't stop himself from laughing.

David and the wolves looked at him as if he were nuts. "Nothing's wrong," he said. "Someone's just happy to see us, is all." To David he said, "Apparently we were expected."

David quirked an eyebrow at him. They'd gotten that much from Jacob during the talk on the beach. _We already knew that, Ty. Tell me something we _don't _know._

Before Tyson could answer, the door opened and a small dark-haired vampire dashed out. Tyson moved into a defensive position in front of David, but the vampire stopped a good ten feet away from them. She was a petite one, barely five feet tall with spiky black hair and bright yellow eyes. Her clothes were stylish and looked expensive, and she was showing all of her teeth in a wide grin. It didn't seem like she was going to attack, but Tyson wasn't going to take the chance.

"Well, it's about time you got here," she said in a high-pitched, almost chirpy voice. "You know, it was rude of you to keep us waiting like that." She spoke as if she'd known them for years.

"_Excusez-moi, ma petite,_" Tyson said in his most gentlemanly manner. He'd been raised to always treat women with the utmost respect. "We didn't know we'd be dropping by, or else we might have sent an engraved announcement." That earned him a peal of laughter from her, several barking chuckles from the wolves, and a series of booming guffaws from inside the house. That last sound was vaguely reminiscent of a moose with a head cold.

"I'm Alice," the girl said. "It's nice to finally meet you." She extended her hand for a handshake. Tyson took it and planted a small kiss on the back.

"I'm Tyson and this is David," he replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you too."

David darted up to her and caught her up in an enthusiastic bear hug. Tyson heard a low growl coming from the house and looked up to see a tall blond male standing on the front steps. He gently pried David's arms from around Alice. "Dav, please. I know you're excited to meet her, but you don't want to crush her two minutes after the introductions." He looked at Alice and said, "Sorry about that. He's just REALLY happy to meet you."

Alice grinned and said, "There's no need to apologize. I know just how he feels." She turned back to the house and shouted, "It's all right, Jasper! He wasn't going to hurt me!"

"If you say so," the man said. "But if it's all the same to you, I think I'll keep an eye on them for the time being."

Tyson bit back a sarcastic remark. He didn't appreciate Jasper's comment, but he kept his mouth shut. The way Jasper was watching Alice, his defensive attitude, his overall stance... Tyson realized that they were a mated pair. If he were in Jasper's position, he'd be thinking the exact same thing.

Alice took Tyson's hand in her much smaller one and started pulling him toward the house. "Come on!" she said. "Everyone's waiting!"

Tyson grabbed David's wrist and dragged him along. David managed to snag Seth by one ear and use it for a leash. The sandy wolf whined but tolerated the move.

"Dav, let go of his ear. I'm sure he and Embry would be happy to follow without you resorting to physical violence," Tyson said. David pouted, but Tyson held firm. The smaller male let go of Seth's ear.

_Thanks, _Seth thought. _We need to phase back to human anyway. We're too big to fit through the front door._

_All right, _Tyson replied. _See you in a bit._

The wolves headed off into the trees to phase and Alice pulled David and Tyson up the steps and through the front door. When he saw the rest of the Cullen family, Tyson immediately felt shabby and under-dressed.

There were three men and three women, some standing, some sitting. They were pretty evenly divided between blonds and brunettes, although one of the men looked to be a redhead. There was even a little girl seated between him and one of the brunette women. The girl's presence was distinctive enough, but Tyson was surprised further when she looked up at them with warm chocolate-brown eyes. He was speechless. Why did these people have a human girl living with them? Then he remembered the wolves' conversation on the beach and realized that this was probably the hybrid that Daniel had mentioned.

The redhead looked up at him with slightly narrowed eyes and moved to shield the girl with his body. Tyson frowned a little, not understanding the reaction. Then he got a good look inside the other man's head. _How could he know what Nessie is? They've only just arrived. And the way the large one is looking at her..._

"I'm sorry, sir," Tyson said. "We don't mean Nessie any harm. I just never thought..."

The redhead's eyes narrowed further. Tyson had the sudden feeling that he and David should probably run now.

The decision was taken out of his hands when the wolves entered the room. Seth was bouncing on his toes as if he had a secret he couldn't wait to tell. The redheaded man looked at him and his eyes widened in shock. He looked back at Tyson and David and then at Embry and Seth.

_How is this possible? According to their legends, there's never been an imprint that consisted of four people. What could have happened to cause this? _The redhead's thoughts were getting louder and more chaotic; if he could still get headaches, Tyson would have had a four-alarm migraine by now. He winced and rubbed his temples for a few seconds. "Could you try turning down the volume, mister? Your thoughts are getting pretty loud."

This earned him a look of shock from the other vampires in the room. The blond man standing next to the window regarded them with an expression that was equal parts caution and curiosity. "You're a mind reader?" he asked, a small smile on his lips.

"Yes, sir," Tyson said. "Been that way since we were turned." He didn't say anything more, not wanting to jump into that nest of brambles until it was absolutely necessary. There were some things that he and David didn't talk about even with each other, although David certainly _thought _about it enough. Tyson decided to keep the full story to himself til he felt comfortable that he and David wouldn't be a burden to these people.

"You won't be a burden to us," the redhead said. Tyson's eyes widened; the redhead was a mind reader too. "As you've already heard from several sources, we've been expecting you for a little while now. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like."

David was already making himself at home. He was perched on the back of an overstuffed white sofa, Seth seated between his legs and his arms wrapped loosely around the young wolf's neck. He even had his chin perched on the boy's head. Seth didn't seem to mind, although Embry looked a little wary.

Tyson raised an eyebrow at David, who returned the look with a smart-ass smirk that dared him to say anything out loud. Figuring this wasn't the time to lecture his lover, Tyson decided to focus on getting to know these new yellow-eyes.

"A good idea," the redhead said, demonstrating his mind-reading skill again. "My name is Edward Cullen. This is my wife Bella" – indicating the brunette on the couch with him – "and our daughter Renesmee." The little girl smiled and waved. Tyson got the impression that there was more to her than met the eye; he couldn't help feeling a little creeped out by her.

"You've already met Alice and Jasper," Edward continued. The couple in question bowed their heads in greeting, a wide grin on Alice's face.

Edward pointed at the blond woman and dark-haired man seating in the loveseat directly opposite Tyson. "This is Rosalie and her husband Emmett." The big vampire grinned, showing all of his teeth, while the woman regarded him and David with thinly veiled distaste. Tyson didn't think that he'd get along too well with her, at least until they got to know each other better.

"And these are our parents, Carlisle and Esme," Edward said, finishing the introductions. The blond man, Carlisle, stepped forward and smiled again. Esme came up to Tyson and hugged him much as David had Alice, only less enthusiastically. She smiled up at him and for a moment she reminded him of his mother.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you," she said. "Alice hasn't been able to stop talking about the two of you since she had that vision."

"Vision?" Tyson asked. _Wonderful, _he thought. _First a mind reader and now a fortune teller. What kind of circus are we in? _A barely audible chuckle drew his attention back to Edward. That response had Tyson raising his shield so that he could keep his thoughts to himself for a little longer.

"Mhmm," Alice said. "I get visions all the time, but I can only see the outcome of decisions. If a person changes his or her mind, the vision changes too. It can be very irritating sometimes, but it's really very handy."

"So we shouldn't try to surprise you, is what you're saying," Tyson said, unable to keep the corners of his lips quirking up in a slight smile.

"Exactly." She flitted to his side and pulled him to the couch, pushing him down next to Seth. She repeated the action with Embry, who was a little more reluctant.

"My visions work best with humans and vampires, because I've been both at some time in my life. But they don't work on werewolves, shapeshifters, or vampire/human hybrids." Alice nodded toward Nessie.

"Because you've never been any of those things," Tyson guessed. It made sense in a weird way.

"Right. Another stupid limitation," Alice groused, pouting cutely. "It's just so vexing sometimes."

Tyson couldn't help grinning at that. "You're the type of person who skips to the end of a book before you read it, aren't you?" Alice frowned at that, not sure what he meant.

"That's basically what your power does, right? It lets you skip ahead without having to go through the boring parts. I bet it's ruined a lot of surprise parties over the years." Tyson chuckled and David grinned. Alice started to get mad, but she nodded as the comparison sank in.

"Okay, you might have a point there," she conceded. "But it's saved a bunch of lives several times now."

"Not disputing that," Tyson said. "I'm just saying, what's life without a few surprises? I bet I could surprise you all right now."

"I doubt it," Alice said, "but go ahead."

"Okay." Tyson leaned back and thought for a moment. How best to demonstrate his ability without being obnoxious about it? _Ah, _he thought to himself. _Got it._

"Right now you're considering options for an overpriced wardrobe that Dav and I are going to hate. Jasper is trying to determine just how dangerous we might be. Emmett wants to challenge me to a wrestling match." He looked at the big vampire and grinned. "Maybe later, big guy." Emmett let out a booming laugh and grinned back.

"Rosalie is wondering if I'm a natural blond," Tyson continued. Looking right at her, he said, "I am. And you wouldn't believe how many times I've heard that question." Rosalie gave him a nasty look without saying a word. Then again, she didn't have to say them out loud. He could hear them in her mind just fine.

Turning to Edward, he said, "You're finding this very amusing, and you're not exactly known for your sense of humor. As for Bella, I'm not getting anything from her, which is a refreshing change of pace, to say the least. Nessie has so many questions that it's hard to choose which one to answer first." He smiled at the girl and said, "Don't worry, _chere_. We'll answer them in due time." Looking at Carlisle and Esme: "The two of you are already thinking of us as family. You're wondering if now is the best time to broach the subject of us joining you."

"As a matter of fact, yes," Carlisle said. "Alice saw you becoming part of our family. I've learned never to doubt the truth of her visions. Of course, the decision to join us is yours to make. We would never force you to do so."

Tyson looked at David and back to Carlisle. "Is there somewhere Dav and I could talk privately for a bit? We need to discuss this."

"Of course," Carlisle said. "You can talk in my office. It's on the second floor and is completely soundproofed. You'll have all the privacy you need."

"_Merci, monsieur,_" Tyson said. He took David's hand and pulled him to the stairs. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

"I know I'll be waiting on pins and needles," Rosalie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

David frowned and said to Tyson in sign language, ::Wow, she's a real charmer. I wonder where she went to finishing school.::

Emmett laughed again and everyone stared at him. "What?" he asked. "He just wants to know if Rose is always that charming."

David's eyes widened and Tyson pulled him up the stairs, dropping their backpacks on the floor next to the staircase. ::We'll ask about that later,:: he signed to David. ::Right now, we have something more important to talk about.::

**Author's note: **Okay, the conversation could've been a little better, but it went pretty well regardless. I'm sure I'll iron out the kinks in later chapters. In the meantime, please read and review. The next chapter will be along soon, I promise. See you then! :D


	5. Chapter 4: Demonstration

**Author's Note: **First off, I want to apologize for the mistake I made near the end of the last chapter. The symbols I chose to indicate when sign language was being used didn't show up at all. In light of this development, I'm switching over to double colons to distinguish sign-language dialogue from the regular kind. Again, I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. Second, I know that Embry and Seth haven't gotten much face time in this story, but that will change in the next chapter. Thank you. :)

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 4: Demonstration

They found Carlisle's office with no difficulty and headed in, closing the door behind them. The room was decorated quite tastefully in various shades of brown, with one whole wall dedicated to artwork and photographs from bygone decades. The other walls were lined with bookshelves which were packed to the gills with leather-bound volumes. Tyson and David could get lost for days in the contents of one shelf, but that was not their purpose at the moment. Tyson raised his shield to keep Edward from eavesdropping on their thoughts.

::So how long should we stay up here before we tell them that we're accepting their offer?:: David signed.

Tyson quirked an eyebrow at him. Just when he figured that David couldn't get any cheekier, something happened to blow the top right off the curve. The boy was always surprising him, and usually at the most inopportune times.

::What makes you think we're not going to talk about it first?:: Tyson replied.

::Because I know you?:: David said, a teasing expression on his face.

He had a point. David knew him better than anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't going to talk about such a monumental change in their lives.

::Be that as it may, we can't make such a huge decision without talking about it first,:: Tyson said. Why couldn't David see that they couldn't just dive right into this? They'd fallen for something similar and their lives had been irrevocably altered as a result.

::What's to talk about? You heard what Alice said. They've been expecting us.:: David turned and walked to a chair, jumping up onto the headrest and balancing on his toes. He squatted down til he was looking Tyson in the eyes and said, ::Maybe you're just too scared to settle down.::

::Damn straight I'm scared, _cheri_!:: Tyson signed. ::We don't know these people! How can we trust them?::

David hopped down off the chair and flitted up to Tyson. He reached up and took his lover's face in his hands. He opened his mind to Tyson and thought, _They're not Rex and Bon-Bon, love. They're not going to hurt us. Even if they were, we're a lot stronger than we were before. We'd have gotten wind of any malicious intent before we got anywhere near the house._

Tyson closed his eyes and leaned his head down, pressing his forehead to David's. He knew that the smaller vampire was right, but it was hard to go against nearly nineteen years of protective instinct. He'd assumed the role of David's protector practically from the moment they could stand on their own. It was next to impossible to let go of a mindset that he'd held onto for his whole life.

_And think about this, Ty. We thought we were the only yellow-eyes in the world and now we know differently. We're not alone anymore. They don't even know us and they're offering us a home, a family. We can stop running. _David smirked up at him. _Besides, you felt the power in that room; even if Rex did find us, he'd have to be suicidal to take on so many vamps by himself. Hell, I'm betting Rosalie could take him all by her lonesome if she got pissed enough! _His mouth opened wide in a silent laugh and Tyson couldn't help but smile at the image he saw. The blonde certainly looked like she could hold her own in a fight despite her froufrou appearance, and he was betting that Emmett and Jasper were strong fighters in their own right. _And Bon-Bon is no longer a concern. We made sure of that, remember?_

Tyson closed his eyes and briefly allowed himself to travel back to that night: the rage, the fire and smoke, Bon-Bon shrieking in defiance even as he and David had torn her to pieces and fed those pieces to the fire. He shivered and whimpered; he didn't like to think about it, but he couldn't ever escape it because of the fucking perfect vampire memory. If not for David, he would've lost his mind ages ago.

_I know it's hard to let go, love, _David said. _What's past is past. We have to move forward now. And the Cullens are offering us a chance to do that. Not to mention Seth and Embry. _

Tyson looked into David's eyes at that last part. _What about them? _He tried to inject a nonchalant tone into his words and failed miserably. David would be able to see right through it.

David looked at him with mingled sadness and pain in his eyes. _We can't just up and leave them, _he thought. _They explained all about imprinting on the way here. If they go for too long without seeing us, it could hurt them...maybe even kill them. _That last put a spike of pain through both their hearts. _Then there's the mating bonds we formed with them. They feel as strong as the bond we have with each other. We _can't _leave...even if we wanted to._

Tyson knew that David was right. He had felt the bond form, knew it was there. He'd tried to ignore it, hoping that it was just some kind of psychic hallucination. But the longer they stayed, the more he realized that it was a fool's errand. He could no more forsake Embry and Seth than he could forsake David. The four of them needed each other.

David beamed up at Tyson as he felt the acquiescence in his thoughts. He kissed Tyson and moved off toward the desk, picking up a cell phone that someone had left on a side table. He started fiddling with it, sliding it open and studying the QWERTY keypad. Tyson felt him slip into his "special" thought mode; David had a special affinity for machines that allowed him to "read" them in a manner similar to Tyson's telepathy. They'd looked it up online and the closest they found was a Wikipedia page listing various fictional superpowers; they hadn't known that technopathy was even a word, much less an actual ability.

David stared at the phone some more and squinted a bit. The phone came on, glowing with a dim blue light. It never ceased to amaze Tyson that David could do something so far outside the norm. It only made him more special and Tyson more determined to protect him. There was no telling what could happen if individuals like Rex got wind of what David was capable of doing.

"I wonder what the Cullens think of us." Tyson jerked his head around at the soft voice, staring at David with wide-eyed shock. David stood looking at him, an expression of hope and dread on his face.

"Did you...did you just..._say _something?" Tyson asked.

David nodded. He held up the phone as if it held the explanation Tyson was suddenly desperate for. _A few weeks ago, while you were off hunting, I started messing around with a stereo speaker. I wasn't trying to _do _anything. It just..._happened. He fell silent then, not sure of how to continue.

"What just 'happened'?" Tyson pressed.

_I was touching the speaker and thinking about this one song I liked, and it just started pouring out of the speaker complete with musical accompaniment. I didn't know what it was or how I was doing it, and I was afraid to tell you about it. _There was that flash of dread again. David had been scared of how Tyson would react to this news.

"_Cheri..._this is amazing! You found a way to talk and you were afraid that I might throw you away? This is the best thing you could have told me!" Tyson dashed over and grabbed David up in a bear hug, kissing him hard enough to crack their lips. David moaned and wrapped his arms around Tyson's neck. It took a few moments for Tyson to get over the euphoria and set David on his feet again.

_I've been practicing the last little while, mostly while you were hunting on your own. So far I can only do it when I touch any electronic devices that can make sound. If I work at it, I might be able to do it from a distance. _David was grinning now, happy about Tyson's reaction and mentally chiding himself for ever doubting his lover in the first place. Then something occurred to him and he was slapping himself on the back of the head.

Tyson frowned as he did that. "What was that for?" he asked.

_Because if I'd been thinking instead of fretting, I could've solved my little communication problem months ago! _David thought with that huge grin still on his face. He was out the door before Tyson could grab onto him. Tyson sighed and dashed after him.

David flew down the stairs and nearly bowled Emmett over at the bottom. The big vampire had apparently been trying to eavesdrop on them. David smiled to himself; he was liking the big lug already. "Hey," Emmett said, "what are you doing with my phone?"

David looked at the phone, then back to Emmett and handed it to him. He grinned and headed for one of the computers in the den. He paused at the entrance and turned back, reaching for his backpack. It lifted into the air and flew right into his hand. Everyone in the room stared in surprise as he dashed to the nearest computer and sat down.

Tyson followed at a more leisurely pace and sat down between Embry and Seth on the couch. He looked at Carlisle and said, "We just finished talking and we've made our decision. We're staying." He turned to Alice and said, "We hereby surrender ourselves to your fashion sense...Sis." He punctuated the statement with a small smile. "As long as you don't go overboard."

Alice clapped her hands, squealing in delight and flitting over to hug him. Embry and Seth leaned a little away from the enthusiastic display, Seth grinning at Tyson. Embry was looking into the den, watching David impatiently drumming his fingers as he waited for the computer to boot up. "What's he doing?" the wolf asked.

Tyson followed Embry's eyes and smiled. "He had an idea while we were talking and he's a mite impatient to get it out of his head before it burns out." He looked at everyone and continued, "I demonstrated one of my talents earlier. Now it's his turn to show off one of his."

The computer finished booting up just as Tyson stopped talking. David grinned and laid one hand on the drive tower, reaching into the hard drives and syncing his thoughts with the internal processors. While this was going on, he opened the backpack and a couple of dozen tools and electronic components flew out and arranged themselves in the air next to the computer. A window opened on the screen and started flashing program code at speeds that not even a vampire could keep up with.

"What is he doing?" Edward asked, fascinated by the display.

"Demonstrating his special talent," Tyson said. "He's a technopath." Seeing everyone's blank stares, he explained. "A technopath is sort of like a telepath, only with machines. He discovered it shortly after we were turned, but we never told our maker about it. There was no telling how Rex might have decided to take advantage of it."

"Such a power would be a great advantage, especially these days," Jasper said. "You were wise to keep it a secret." He watched as a cell phone flew out of the backpack to hover in front of the hard drive.

"David believes that we can trust you, and I trust him," Tyson said. "Besides, you've trusted us enough to show us some of your gifts. It would be rude not to return the kindness."

He reached over and lay one hand on Seth's and the other on Embry's. The significance of the gesture wasn't lost on him; he was laying claim to them in a way that only a mate could. All that was left was for him and David to consummate the bond in the most physical manner possible without drawing blood. He didn't think that Seth would object in the slightest; it was Embry who seemed skittish about the whole thing. Tyson couldn't blame him; balancing two hearts in a relationship was hard enough. Balancing four would be a monumental challenge, to say nothing of the sexual component.

Putting that out of his mind for the moment, he focused on describing his and David's abilities. "I've already demonstrated my telepathy and Dav is displaying his technopathy as we speak. We have a couple of other gifts that might seem a little more out there."

"Like what?" Bella asked. _Oh, so she _can _speak, _Tyson thought. For some reason or other, she got on Tyson's nerves. He couldn't pin down the source of the feeling and he decided it was a good thing that he still had the T-shield up. Edward seemed like the type who would defend his lady's honor and person against any threat, real or imagined.

"We're both telekinetic and I have this thing where I can shield myself and others from any physical or mental attacks. It comes in handy on occasion." He saw the looks of concern on their faces and said, "We don't use our powers where anyone can see them in action. We know what could happen if anyone were made aware of them."

"This is extraordinary," Carlisle said. "It's rare for a vampire to develop a special talent after being turned, but I've never heard of any who developed two or more at once." He paused for a moment, then asked, "What were your exact thoughts during the transformation?"

Tyson fidgeted for a few seconds before answering. "Mostly that I wanted to protect David, to keep him safe by whatever means necessary. When the burning was over, I could read minds, move things with my mind, and raise a shield. It was similar for him. It just manifested differently: technopathy instead of telepathy." He paused as Nessie yawned.

Bella stood and picked up the little girl. "I think I'll put her to bed now," she said. She blew Edward a kiss and sped out the door.

Tyson watched her go. "I don't think she likes me very much," he said.

Edward smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Tyson. She just needs to get used to you. She's still a newborn and is having some difficulty embracing the intricacies of this life. It's a lot to take in in such a short time."

"Tell me about it," Tyson said. "Dav and I were turned somewhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving last year. It's been nearly eight months and we're still sorting things out."

"So you're still newborns," Jasper said.

"Newborns? So we're _baby _vampires?" Tyson chuckled at that. The notion was a little absurd but very apt. "Why are we so much stronger than older vamps?"

"Because your bodies still carry a supply of human blood," Jasper said. "You're still going through the blood you had when you were human. When that is exhausted, your strength and behavior will stabilize and you'll be able to think more clearly."

"We think very clearly now, sir," Tyson said. "We've never killed anyone nor drank human blood. We fought like hell to keep control of ourselves; it's a mystery to us how we were able to do so when the thirst was so strong, but we managed it."

"In a few months, you gained a level of self-control that most vampires would need years or decades to perfect," Carlisle said. "Bella is the only other newborn we've seen with that level of self-control. We believed it was simply because she had been mentally prepared beforehand for the realities of this life." Tyson frowned and cocked his head to one side, confused. Carlisle continued, "When Bella was only hours old, Edward took her on her first hunt. She caught the scent of humans in the forest and started to track them. But Edward managed to distract her long enough for her to regain control. She was able to break off from the hunt and run as far from the humans as she could manage."

Tyson's eyebrows climbed almost to his hairline as he listened to this. His respect for Bella rose a few notches. "Sounds like you all underestimated her," he said.

"Yeah, we did," Jacob said with a smile. "But then, Bells has always been stronger than people think." He looked at Edward and grinned; the vampire returned the smile.

"I'm guessing the three of you have quite the history," Tyson said. "We can save that story for another time. Now where were we?"

"You were discussing how we were able to develop self-control that most older vampires could only dream of," a smooth tenor voice said. All eyes turned toward the source of the voice to find David standing at the end of the sofa, looking as he always did except for one major difference. He was wearing a device on his right forearm, cobbled together from the cell phone and the various materials he'd scrounged from his backpack. The phone was mounted on a black wristband with Velcro fasteners and had a miniaturized speaker plugged into the charger port. The band terminated in a fingerless glove that left the palm of his hand bare and sported a flexible solar-cell array on the back. The array was connected to the phone and speaker by way of conductive wires woven into the fabric of the band itself. The only color was on the shell of the phone and the blue and purple reflections on the solar array. All in all, the device was intricate yet elegant in the simplicity of its design.

"What is that mismatched mess you're wearing?" Rosalie asked. She was looking at the device with a mix of disdain and curiosity. Despite her tone, Tyson could detect a touch of admiration in her thoughts.

The moderate Cajun accent was noticeable as the voice emerged once more from the speaker. "I just rigged this phone to act as a wrist-mounted speech synthesizer. Did that answer your question, Ice Princess Barbie, or do I need to elaborate?" He smirked at her as she frowned and Emmett laughed.

"Oh, I'm gonna love having you for a brother," the big vampire said with a grin. "But seriously, you're gonna have to explain a little more about it."

"And try to use words of one syllable or less," Rosalie said. "My Emmett has a hard time understanding big words." She said this with a warm smile that held no hint of the disparagement that usually accompanied such a statement. Emmett grinned again and Tyson figured that such things were a common occurrence in the Cullen household.

"Okay," David said, "I'll do my best." It was strange hearing him speak without moving his lips, like he was some kind of funky ventriloquist. Tyson supposed that they'd all get used to it in time.

"I learned several weeks ago that I could channel my thoughts through whatever audio speakers happened to be nearby. While Ty and I were talking upstairs, it occurred to me that I could build a portable version of Stephen Hawking's voice synthesizer. I interfaced with the computer's hard drives, wrote an app that would allow the phone to act as a smaller version of that device, and downloaded it. Then I wired up the glove, assembled the speaker, plugged the whole shebang together, and let her rip." David grinned again. "All in all, I'd say it's working rather nicely, wouldn't you?"

"That's great!" Seth said. "But how are you powering it? And why'd you choose that particular voice?"

"With this," David said. He lifted his hand to display the solar cells on the glove. "I scrounged these from several solar-powered calculators and enhanced them so that they could provide more energy to recharge the phone and power the speaker. They can use any light source to charge this baby." A hint of melancholy entered his voice as he continued. "As for the voice, I figured that was how my dad sounded when he was my age. It was as good a way as any to keep a piece of him with me."

"We can understand that," Embry said. He was looking at David in a new light and wondering what else was going on in that weird and strangely fascinating brain. "I'd give almost anything to know who my father was."

David walked over to Embry and settled himself on the wolf's lap, straddling his legs and laying his hands on Embry's shoulders. He wiggled a little to make himself more comfortable and smiled as Embry blushed. "I'm sure you'll find out someday, _mon chere,_" he said. "We'll help you when you're ready to start looking." He leaned forward and kissed Embry, a gentle touch of lips to lips with no seductive intent behind it.

Embry shivered and closed his eyes, letting David do as he pleased. It was weird kissing a vampire, but it felt kind of good too. His body was starting to react on a more primal level when David broke the kiss and pulled back. He almost whined when the contact ended. The sound was stifled as he saw the look in David's eyes: a love for him, Seth, and Tyson that was almost heartbreaking in its strength and purity.

Jacob coughed and stood up. "Okay, it's probably time for the three of us to get going. Embry and Seth have been running patrols for the last day or so and they need to sleep." Seth punctuated this with a huge yawn; the timing couldn't have been more perfect if it had been planned.

"When will you be back?" David asked. He had one hand on Embry's chest and the other on Seth's. It was obvious that he didn't like the idea of being separated from them, but he understood the necessity of it.

"When they've had a chance to rest, _cheri_," Tyson said. He reluctantly let go of the wolves' hands and stood. "I'm sure they'll be back as soon as their duties allow." He looked to Jacob, who confirmed it with a nod.

"Okay," David said. He smiled and got off of Embry, then pulled Seth to his feet and kissed him too. The younger wolf blushed and was unable to stifle a small moan. David smiled up at him. "We'll have time for that later, I promise." Seth blushed harder and everyone laughed softly.

"You'd better go before he decides to tie you down," Tyson said with a small chuckle.

"Got it," Embry said, returning the chuckle. He took Seth's hand and followed Jacob to the door. "It was nice to meet you two."

"The pleasure was ours," David said. "And hopefully sometime soon we'll be able to show you just how much we enjoyed it." He smirked and winked at them. Embry and Seth blushed at that and David grinned.

"Go, now!" Tyson couldn't help grinning as the wolves darted out the door and into the night. He turned to face David. "Whatever am I going to do with you, _cheri_?"

"Nothing you haven't already been doing for the last couple of years," David said. He spun on his heels and addressed Alice. "Okay, where are the ridiculously overpriced designer duds? Personally, I don't care what I wear, as long as it doesn't clash with this." He lifted his arm to display the synth rig again.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow," Alice said, her tone clearly gleeful. "You're going to need shoes. Most stores don't allow customers to go barefoot."

"We have some in my backpack," Tyson said. "And I'm already dreading the trip."

"Why is that?" Esme asked.

"Because we just signed up to be her latest life-sized Ken dolls," Tyson replied. That got a laugh out of everyone and in that moment, Tyson knew that he and David had found their new home.

**Author's Note: **This chapter ran a little longer than the others. In case you hadn't figured out from reading this, I love exposition. If it was too much, I'll do my best to tone it down in future chapters. If you're wondering what technopathy is, you can look it up on Wikipedia or the Superpower Wiki. Now, as for the next chapter, it will focus exclusively on Embry and Seth and their reactions to the expansion of their imprint. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please read and review. Thanks! :)


	6. Chapter 5:  Walk In the Woods

**Author's Note: **And here is Chapter 6, where Embry and Seth finally take center stage and discuss their feelings about the new imprint. I know I took my own sweet time getting here, but that's the way stories work; sometimes characters don't show themselves til the time is right. Once more, if M/M action is not your cup of tea, I advise you not to read any further. You have been warned. :)

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 5: Walk In The Woods

After they left the Cullen house, Embry and Seth headed into the forest as humans, hand in hand. They needed to talk about a couple of things and they didn't want the rest of the pack listening in.

They meandered through the trees, taking their sweet time, in no hurry to get home. Embry wasn't sure how to start, but Seth saved him the trouble.

"So...what do you think of them?" he asked, looking up at Embry.

Embry looked at him, not sure how to respond. "I think that they're very nice," he finally said.

"That's it?" Seth asked. "Nothing else?"

"I feel the pull of the imprint, same as you," Embry said. "And something tells me that they feel the same way about us. But we need to take this slow; otherwise there could be some serious damage."

"I know. But I...I _want _them," Seth said. "I want to lock myself in a room with the three of you and never come out." He blushed as he said this and Embry smiled. The older wolf reached out his free hand and laid it gently on Seth's cheek.

"I know the feeling and I'm sure they'd like nothing more than to satisfy the urge too." Embry caressed Seth's cheek, feeling the warm skin and stroking the cheekbone with his thumb. Seth really was a lot like Jacob, in form and character. Embry couldn't help but wonder if the two were more deeply related than anyone knew.

He put that thought out of his head and returned to the topic at hand. "We need to be patient, baby boy. That part will come soon enough. Right now we need to talk about how we're going to handle it."

Seth pouted a little, looking extra adorable in the process. He had it down to an art form; he could make the hardest hearts melt with those puppy-dog eyes of his. "All right. Any idea why the imprint changed like it did?"

Embry knew a rhetorical question when he heard one. Nobody had any real idea why imprinting happened in the first place. Sam thought it happened so that the wolves could continue the bloodline; Jacob's dad, Billy, thought it happened so that they could make stronger wolves. After thinking about it on his own for a while, Embry had come to the conclusion that maybe they were both right. So far, everyone who had imprinted had done so with individuals who were best suited to fulfill those requirements. Not all of the imprints made sense at the time they occurred; Quil had imprinted on a two-year-old, to his mild embarrassment.

On another note, Jacob had hoped to imprint on Bella and while she was nice, she'd also been clumsiness incarnate. How that could help make a stronger wolf, nobody was able to guess; they'd attributed it to Jake being in love with her. It had never occurred to him that if he and Bella had been meant for each other, he'd have imprinted the first time he saw her after his first transformation. It had caused him all kinds of heartbreak when she chose Edward over him. Thankfully he'd been spared any further pain when he imprinted on Nessie. He still thought of Bella as one of his best friends, even after she'd been turned into a vampire.

And Embry and Seth's situation... There was no logical reason for it. They couldn't have children together and the imprint had eradicated any chance of their finding female partners who would understand. The only thing Embry could think of at the time was that the fates had played some kind of unusually cruel and twisted joke on them. Apparently the fates had been getting bored, hence the addition of David and Tyson to the mix.

He brought his attention back to the present topic. "I don't know," he said. "And to be honest, I'm not sure we'll ever find out. You know Sam and Billy's theories about it; what do you think?"

Seth frowned a little, pursing his lips in a way that made him even more adorable, if such a thing were possible. After a moment, he said, "No clue. They can't get pregnant or get us pregnant, so they can't help us make any more wolves. We'd be the last of our respective bloodlines, assuming Leah doesn't get knocked up any time soon." He snorted a little at that image: Leah as a mom, having to deal with diapers and 2 AM feedings and all that other stuff. She'd be climbing the walls inside of a week.

"Maybe she'd agree to be a surrogate mother," Embry suggested. "You both come from the same bloodline. The continuation of the Clearwater family would be assured."

"Assuming we could even find her," Seth said. Leah had finally learned enough control to stop phasing and left La Push as soon as she was certain that her baby brother could handle himself. She hadn't left a forwarding address. While her departure had hurt, he knew that it was the best thing for her. She hadn't wanted to be a wolf and being in the pack with Sam had been a special kind of hell for her. Joining Jacob's pack had settled her down for a while, but it hadn't lasted. Seth had seen it coming; in fact, he'd encouraged her to do so. He wished her nothing but the best and hoped that she was happy wherever she had ended up.

Seth stepped forward and hugged Embry, wrapping his arms tight around him and pressing his face into his chest. Embry returned the hug and kissed the top of Seth's head. He knew what was going through his lover's mind: that their imprint had doomed them to a future without descendants and the expansion of said imprint hadn't produced a solution.

"It'll be all right, baby boy," he said. "Why don't we go to our spot? That always cheers you up." He smiled at Seth, hoping to coax one out of him. The smile he got was weak, but it still counted. "We can be there in a couple of minutes."

Seth beamed at that and he wasted no time stripping and phasing. He was off like a shot before Embry was finishing shifting. Embry chuckled and took off after him.

They reached their spot in record time. It was a secluded lagoon with a forty-foot waterfall half a mile inland from the beach. He and Seth had found it shortly after they imprinted and they'd made love for the first time on the sandy shore. It was just as beautiful as he remembered. Of course, its beauty was nothing compared to the boy standing naked on the shore, the small waves lapping at his toes.

Embry shifted back and wrapped his arms around Seth, pressing his chest to the boy's back. Seth leaned back into the embrace, closing his eyes and sighing softly.

Embry nuzzled his cheek and said, "You must feel strongly about it if this place can't work its usual magic."

"I'm just wondering how we're going to tell them," Seth said. "We explained about imprinting, but I don't think they really understand all the implications." He turned his head to look up at Embry. "I don't want them to feel guilty about not being able to have kids with us."

Embry's heart swelled with love and pride; Seth had a really big heart, putting other people's feelings before his own. "They'll understand, baby boy. And they won't feel guilty...not for long, anyway. Now...we came here to relax. So just try to shut up and enjoy the scenery." He didn't give Seth time to respond to that last part; he kissed the spot just below Seth's ear, gently lapping at it with the tip of his tongue. Seth shivered and moaned, his eyes sliding shut.

Embry knelt on the sand, pulling Seth with him. The smaller boy went without any protest, reaching up with one hand and pressing it to the back of Embry's head. Embry sucked on the spot, making a small mark that would disappear in seconds. Seth whimpered and grabbed a fistful of Embry's short hair, tugging on it as if trying to pull him away. The move only made Embry suck harder and Seth started trembling in his arms.

Seth pulled away just long enough to turn around and face him, locking his lips on Embry's and kissing him with all the passion he had. Embry could feel Seth's arousal pressing against his own. Their heartbeats were in perfect sync, thudding with the same stuttering rhythm. Embry groaned and ran his tongue along Seth's lips, asking permission to enter; Seth granted it, opening his mouth just enough for Embry to slide his tongue inside. They both moaned as their tongues wrapped around each other, wrestling for dominance with Embry having a slight advantage.

Seth was humping Embry's stomach, smearing his juices on the other boy's russet skin. He moaned into Embry's mouth; Embry swallowed the sound and echoed it at the same time. Their cocks were painfully hard and sliding against each other, getting slicker by the second.

Seth pushed Embry onto his back and lifted up onto his knees, straddling the older wolf's hips. He held Embry's cock straight up and slowly lowered himself onto it without any preparation or any lube except for Embry's precum. They both gasped as his hole stretched to accommodate the thick column. Embry grabbed onto Seth's waist to keep from ramming his shaft up inside his lover's willing body.

"Oh God..." Seth whimpered as Embry's cock split him open. He pressed his hand to Embry's chest and dug his nails into the firm muscles, drawing blood from small wounds that closed almost instantly. His body was humming with need, every nerve on fire as his ass finally settled on his lover's thighs. "Ooooooo..." He stayed still for a few moments; no matter how many times they'd done this, he still had to pause to allow himself time to adjust to Embry's thick shaft. It was like trying to shove a cucumber through a straw. It hurt like hell at first, but it got SO much better after a short pause.

After a few seconds, he started to move. Moving slowly, clamping tight around Embry's shaft, Seth moaned as he lifted up. Then, just as Embry's cock was almost free of his ass, he slammed back down, making them both groan as the swollen tip hit Seth's hot spot. Embry gasped, his fingers tightening on Seth's hips. _Good GOD, but the kid knows what he's doing!_ Embry thought. The sensations were just so strong, it was a wonder that he didn't cum as soon as Seth was fully impaled on him.

Seth rode him slowly for a few minutes, keeping his eyes locked on his lover's face. It was one of the things that Embry loved about him: how he always kept eye contact, wanting to stay connected in as many ways as possible.

"Love you, Em," the smaller wolf whispered. His voice had lowered by nearly an octave, made husky by the desire rushing through his body.

"Love you more, baby boy," Embry replied. His eyes crossed as Seth's nails dug into his chest, the pain honing the pleasure to razor sharpness. His fingers dug into Seth's flesh with bruising strength and he was sure that the marks would last for a while. If this kept up, he'd be cumming in no time.

Perhaps sensing that Embry was close, Seth sped up, riding him harder. Their moans increased in volume and frequency, so much so that Embry was glad no one else knew about the lagoon. Their bodies made loud smacking sounds as they moved, their sweat-slick skin sliding together. Embry squeezed his eyes tightly shut and gritted his teeth as he came hard inside Seth, his back arching til it was dangerously close to snapping. He barely managed to keep his howls of ecstasy from ripping their way out of his mouth.

Seth leaned down and kissed him, sealing their mouths together; only then did Embry allow himself to release his pent-up vocalizations. Seth swallowed the sounds, shivering as he did so. For him, his lover's screams and shrieks of pleasure were as sweet as his kisses, as if they were filtered through the purest honey. He could hardly wait to see David and Tyson's reaction to that unique flavor.

Embry hugged Seth tight, his body shaking from the force of his orgasm. Waves of pleasure rolled through him, locking every muscle and sending sparks zipping along his nerves. His cock pulsed inside Seth's chute, pumping the younger wolf full of hot cum. They traded moans as the kiss continued, Embry's body slowly relaxing.

Embry broke the kiss, nuzzling Seth's cheek. He licked his lips and gasped for breath, looking for the perfect words to convey what couldn't be put into words. What came out was, "Fuck...that was fucking _fantastic_."

Seth grinned as he looked into Embry's eyes again. "I aim to please," he said and pushed up onto his knees. He clenched his inner muscles, milking the last few drops of juice from Embry's cock and drawing another gasp from the older wolf. He smiled, running his fingertips through the cooling sweat on Embry's chest.

Embry lifted his head and looked down his body at Seth's cock. It was still swollen and leaking; the head was nearly purple and glistened in the moonlight. Another of Seth's special gifts was the ability to keep from cumming even with the strongest stimulation. He could keep himself on the edge for hours, not allowing himself to cum til Embry had had his pleasure. He'd told the kid that he could cum whenever he wanted, but Seth still thought he had to ask permission before doing so. It was an endearing, if somewhat irritating, trait.

Embry braced his arms on the sand and pushed himself into a sitting position, Seth hugging the larger wolf to keep himself in place. Embry kissed the kid again, savoring the contact as he hugged Seth back. After a few seconds, he loosened his grip on the kid enough to start moving down his body. He licked the sweat from the boy's skin and sucked on the nipples, gently grazing them with his teeth. Seth whimpered and arched his back, trying to push more of his flesh into Embry's mouth.

Embry smiled and moved further down, tracing Seth's muscles with his tongue. The kid was really filling out; it wouldn't be much longer before he was as big as Jake, and Jake was bigger than Embry by at least three inches and God only knew how many pounds of muscle. He was going to be a stick figure next to Seth.

Right now, Embry was thanking whichever deities were listening for his near-superhuman flexibility. He was bent nearly double, his cock still buried in Seth's ass, as he reached his goal. He took the purple head of Seth's cock in his mouth and sucked it for a few seconds, getting several soft moans for his efforts. He slid his mouth further down the shaft, tasting the kid's hot precum as it slid across his tongue. The moans grew louder and finally stopped when Embry had Seth's whole length lodged in his mouth.

Seth's body was shaking as Embry started bobbing his head, moving up and down and making loud slurping noises. The shivering only got more pronounced as Embry kept sucking. He grazed the rim of Seth's tip with his teeth, making the kid gasp and clench his chute around Embry's cock in response.

Seth started moving again, fucking Embry's mouth and riding him at the same time. They both groaned as the sensations grew, quickly outstripping their ability to keep silent. Seth bit his lip til it bled and moved faster, desperate for release. His fingers were tangled in Embry's short hair and tugging on it like he was trying to tear it out.

Finally he couldn't hold back anymore. He cried out and came hard, shooting his juice down Embry's throat. The older boy swallowed as much as he could, but some of it managed to leak out from the corners of his mouth. Embry grunted as Seth's chute clamped tight around his cock and triggered another orgasm just as powerful as the first one. He barely managed to keep his grip on the smaller boy as he poured more of himself into him.

It felt like an eternity passed before their orgasms passed and Embry released Seth's cock, falling backward onto the sand and pulling the kid with him. They were gasping for breath, the cool air laced with their sweat, wolf musk, and the scent of their lovemaking.

"Mmmmmm..." Seth nuzzled Embry's cheek and licked away the sweat beading on the skin. Embry returned the favor and smiled. "Now _that _is what I call relaxing," Seth said. He rolled to his side and gasped as Embry's cock popped free of his ass. He snuggled close, wrapping an arm around Embry's waist and throwing one leg across his lover's.

Embry sighed contentedly and hugged Seth close. They'd get up and rinse off in the lagoon and head for home in a little while. Seth's breathing had slowed and he was starting to snore. Embry closed his eyes and listened to the soothing sound. The kid wasn't nearly as loud as Jake, so his snoring was more like a lullaby than anything else. Besides, after their energetic exertions, they needed to rest for a bit. As for right now, he was happy to be holding one of his mates and looking forward to being with the other two soon. It was just a matter of time; they could afford to be patient.

Embry closed his eyes and joined Seth in a deep and peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note: **There we go: the Embry/Seth chapter. I hope I did justice to the characters. The first draft of this one had them talking about their new imprint during foreplay and that didn't sit well with me for some reason. There are some situations where multitasking is just not advisable. At any rate, please read and review. Thank you. :)


	7. Chapter 6:  Shopping and Reminiscing

**Author's Note: **Chapter Seven...I didn't think I'd make it this far. I've surprised myself by sticking with this. Perseverance isn't exactly my strong suit. But this story has gotten into my blood and it's not going away, so I will finish it. I thank you for your patience so far. And thanks also to everyone who've been reading and reviewing. Please continue to do so. :)

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 6: Shopping and Reminiscing

_It's official, _Tyson thought. _I fucking **HATE **shopping._

The expedition – the only word that came close to describing this farce – had begun at nine AM sharp, with Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, David, and Tyson piling into Emmett's Jeep. Jasper had stayed behind, citing a hunting trip that he'd been putting off. Tyson thought that was rather convenient and he was somewhat envious of the blond vampire for thinking of it first; he'd much rather be hunting than going to a mall. Unfortunately he was still full from the previous night's feeding and didn't really need to go again.

Tyson had never been a big fan of clothes shopping, especially when he was still human. He'd always been big for his age and seemed to outgrow his clothes faster than his parents could buy them. After he hit puberty, the shopping became an even bigger nightmare; the growth spurts required that his wardrobe be replaced almost every other week.

Thankfully his old clothes hadn't gone to waste; whatever didn't get donated to Goodwill wound up in David's closet. The smaller boy had even patched up an old jacket using pieces of Tyson's old clothes, each piece representing a cherished memory. One patch in particular, a diamond-shaped piece right over David's heart, had come from the red T-shirt that Tyson had worn when they'd kissed for the first time. The jacket was a road map of their human lives; Alice would have the devil's own time trying to pry it out of David's hands.

Alice was chirping away in her spot between Tyson and David, listing all the possibilities for their new wardrobe. Tyson stared out the window, trying to tune her out and failing miserably. Not even his T-shield could completely protect him from the onslaught of images flashing through her mind. He felt a tickle at the edges of the shield and recognized the tenor of David's mind; he opened a link to his lover and nearly sighed in ecstasy as Alice's thoughts were banished from his mind.

_Don't worry, baby, _David thought. _The sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be finished. _The smile was evident in his tone. _And never fear. I worked out a deal with her earlier: for every designer item she puts in the pile, we get to pick something that reflects our tastes. No idea if she'll stick to it, though; she's a sneaky one. _A mental laugh rang through the T-link and Tyson couldn't help smiling.

Alice looked at Tyson and gently nudged him with her elbow. "You've been pretty quiet, Ty," she said. "Aren't you excited?"

David answered for him. "He's never liked shopping for clothes. Been like that for years."

"Why not?" Rosalie asked. If Tyson didn't know better, he'd have sworn that she was actually interested.

"Because it was always such an ordeal for him," David said. "He was always bigger than the other kids. Got his size from his daddy." Tyson shot him a dirty look; that was a sore subject for him and not something he wanted to air out in front of virtual strangers. "Anyway," David continued, "he was always outgrowing his clothes. Seemed like he needed a new wardrobe every month or so, that's how fast he grew. It was his own personal Hell."

Tyson growled low in his throat and turned his head to look out the window again. He never had liked being the center of attention if he could avoid it and David had practically pushed him into it. He projected, _Would you please stop, _cheri_? We don't have to tell them EVERYTHING right this minute._

_Why not? _David asked. _Ali asked why you weren't excited about this shopping trip; I'm just answering the question._

_And dredging up some sore points at the same time, _Tyson replied. He'd been oversensitive about his height growing up, and being mistaken for a teaching assistant in junior high hadn't helped. _We gotta keep SOME things to ourselves._

David snorted at that, drawing concerned looks from Alice and Rosalie. _PLEASE, _he thought. _They're our family now. If we can't trust them with the highly personal details of our lives, what can we trust them with?_

Their silent conversation was making the other vampires nervous. "Uh, am I missing something?" Emmett asked.

"Yes, dear, but don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing," Rosalie said. She reached out and laid her hand on Emmett's for a second before drawing it back.

"It's all right, Ty," Alice said. "I promise that you'll like this one. There's this one store that specializes in big and tall AND they carry all the major designers." She beamed at him and he caught a glimpse of himself in a getup by Armani. He stared at her in horror and barely repressed a cringe.

David reached across Alice and laid a hand on Tyson's arm. "There's no need to be apprehensive, _mon amour_. She promised not to go TOO far overboard," he said. Rosalie stifled a laugh at that. Tyson shot a dirty look at the back of her head. If looks really could kill, she would be a smoldering pile of ashes at that very moment.

"So," Emmett said, "what were you guys hunting before the packs interrupted your midnight delight?" He leered at them in the rear-view mirror and waggled his eyebrows. David couldn't help grinning back as his speech-rig played the theme from _Jaws_.

Emmett's eyes widened. "You were hunting great white sharks?" His tone carried mingled amazement and admiration.

"Yeah," Tyson said. "They're pretty easy to hunt, not to mention that they have some of the same behavior as red-eyes do."

"What behavior are you referring to?" Alice asked.

"The feeding frenzy bit," Tyson replied. "They catch a whiff of blood in the water and they'll tear each other to bits trying to get to the source."

Emmett nodded. "True that," he said. Tyson found himself liking Emmett more. The muscle-bound vampire was eternally optimistic and happy-go-lucky; in another time and place, Tyson might have tried for a relationship with him.

Tyson leaned his head back on the headrest and stared at the ceiling. "It's kinda disturbing just how much red-eyes behave like sharks. One time near this little town in Utah, we saw several red-eyes tearing into each other to drain these two teenagers. An area roughly forty feet around was littered with body parts. We didn't stick around to find out who won. The last thing we needed was to get pulled into anyone's drama."

"How were you able to gain control of your thirst so quickly?" Rosalie asked. "Bella had the benefit of nearly two years of preparation before she was turned. You weren't nearly so lucky, so how did you manage it?"

"That...is a long story," Tyson said. "We'll go into it later, when the whole family is together."

"And we want Embry and Seth to be there when we tell it," David said. He smirked and added, "They've already seen us naked. We don't have any secrets from them now." The speech-rig's speaker squealed with feedback for a second and settled back down.

"Speaking of naked..." Tyson said. "Dav and I go naked when we hunt. I hope that won't be a problem."

Rosalie turned to stare at him, her eyebrows climbing to her hairline. "For God's sake, why?" she asked, mild disgust in her tone.

"'Cause we tend to get a little messy when we eat and we don't want to ruin our clothes," David replied. "It's easier to get blood off of skin than out of polyester."

"Well, you'll never have to worry about that anymore," Alice said. "By the time I'm finished with you two, you won't want to wear polyester ever again." She grinned and Tyson got that sinking feeling again. He went back to staring out the window as she and David started discussing options for their first stop at the mall.

"I gotta say," David was saying, "it was a really good thing that he finally hit the end of his growth in high school. It eased the strain on the family budget like you wouldn't believe."

Emmett and Rosalie snickered while Alice hid her smile behind her hand. Tyson started rummaging around in his mind for some of David's more embarrassing moments, but he didn't have a chance to trot them out. Emmett slid the car into a parking space with the precision of Green Arrow and cut the engine.

"We're here," he said. "Let the torture begin." He grinned hugely and was out of the car before anyone could respond.

Tyson rolled his eyes and got out too. David held his door for Alice while Tyson opened Rosalie's. "Well, well," the blonde vampire said. "A gentleman. Your mother certainly raised you right."

"Yes, she did," Tyson said. "She's a good woman." He closed the door and joined David, taking the smaller boy's hand. "Let's get this over with."

"Wipe that look off your face, Ty," Alice said. "You look like you're going to the electric chair."

"That would probably be less painful," he said.

David squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. "Come on, _mon amour_," he said. "I'm betting we won't stay too long."

Rosalie laughed. "With Alice in the lead? I highly doubt that."

"Come ON," David said, impatiently tugging on Tyson's arm. "How often do we actually PAY for clothes anymore? It'd be nice not to have to commit a felony every time we need new ones." He tugged harder. "Let's get moving, Ty. I'm prepared to drag you if I have to."

Tyson knew that tone; he'd heard it often enough in the T-link. David would do exactly as he threatened if the delay persisted. "Okay, but you're gonna have to tone down that rig of yours after we get inside. You'll have to use the keypad to make it look somewhat normal."

"All right," David said. He grinned and started pulling Tyson toward the entrance. Tyson sighed and allowed himself to be dragged. He was already dreading everything that Alice had planned.

**Author's Note: **This has got to be the shortest chapter outside of the prologue. They usually top out at close to three thousand words. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review. :)


	8. Chapter 7: Long Story, Part 1

**Author's Note: **This chapter goes into Tyson and David's backstory. There's quite a bit of it, so this may have to be split into two parts. Thank you for your patience. :)

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

**Chapter 7: **Long Story, Part 1

Embry and Seth were sitting in the Cullens' living room, barely paying attention to the flatscreen. They were both fidgety and hyper, growing increasingly restless the longer David and Tyson were gone. Esme had brought them some food which they gratefully accepted, even though Embry felt as if he might not be able to keep it down. As usual, Esme had cooked far more than any family of four could eat in a day. It was a good thing that the wolves had such enormous appetites; otherwise the food would've gone to waste.

Tyson had called from the mall earlier and invited them to come by this evening. That had been six hours ago and Embry was starting to worry.

Seth noticed Embry bouncing his leg up and down and laid his hand on the older wolf's knee to stop the motion. He took hold of Embry's chin and turned his head so that he was looking at Seth. "Please stop worrying so much," he said. "They just went to the mall. They'll be back any time now. You know how Alice gets when she has a new project. I wouldn't be surprised if she emptied out every store in the place." Seth grinned and got a small smile in return.

Seth kissed Embry's cheek. He had his hands full trying to get Embry to have any kind of fun. The older wolf was always so shy and reserved. Seth never had understood it; Embry was kind, funny, smart, compassionate. He was everything that anyone could possibly want in a mate. The only downside was that he was something of a wallflower and took his duties a little too seriously. He never really let loose even when they made love, always keeping his screams, moans, and growls to the bare minimum. Seth much preferred it when he just let the howls of ecstasy rip, even if Seth's mouth or neck was muffling them at the time. His train of thought was disrupted by the sound of the door opening.

Tyson was the first one inside and he wasted no time depositing what looked like close to twenty shopping bags in the den. David was next, carrying just as many and grinning like a loon. Alice and Rosalie were talking in hushed tones, clearly excited by the outcome of the trip. Emmett came last; he was almost completely obscured by various bags and boxes. Seth jumped up and dashed over, taking some of the boxes from in front of Emmett's face and setting them on the foyer table.

"Thanks, kid," Emmett said. "I swear to God, I was about to trip over something." He set his load down and turned to Alice. "Honestly, little sister, did you have to buy EVERYTHING in the damn store?"

"Watch your language, please," Alice said, "and I didn't buy everything. Just most of it. I think we left two pairs of pants and a few T-shirts on the shelves." She smiled at the nickname "little sister". It was a reference to her diminutive size, since she'd been turned a good fifteen years before Emmett.

Seth grinned as he watched them. Alice and Emmett were so likeable: she because of her indomitable spirit and he because of his eternal optimism. They were so much alike that Seth wondered why they weren't mates. They seemed much better suited to each other, but he wasn't in a position to judge whether it was right or wrong. He didn't have enough experience in that area, though he expected to learn a lot in the foreseeable future.

Tyson entered the living room and flopped down on the couch next to Embry. "_Loeur Dieu_, the nightmare is over!" he exclaimed, sighing loudly to punctuate the statement. He draped one arm around Embry's shoulders and leaned his head on the back of the couch. Seth smiled at that. Tyson didn't look as if he'd had a good time.

"Oh come on, _mon amour_," David said as he came in. "Alice was right about that one store. It had everything in your size AND you found a few things you actually liked."

"True," Tyson said. "Although at those prices, we're going to get at least twenty years' use out of them before we toss them." He blew a small gust of air through his lips and turned his head to look at Alice. "And you better believe that," he said to her.

"Why would you want to keep them that long?" she replied. She had a puzzled look on her face, as if she couldn't understand Tyson's attitude.

"Because it doesn't make any sense to spend thousands of dollars on clothes that you only wear once," he shot back. "My parents had the devil's own time trying to keep up with my growth spurts. Nearly a third of their money wound up in my closet, so I learned pretty damn quick how to make my clothes last."

"Mine were more fortunate," David said. "I wasn't nearly as massive and I stayed pretty much the same size all through puberty." Tyson narrowed his eyes at him, baring his teeth and growling. David smiled and walked over to the couch, curling up next to Tyson. Seth followed and sat on the floor next to Tyson's feet, laying his head on the vampire's thigh. David rested his hand on the young wolf's head and started combing his fingers through the short black hair. Seth sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the contact.

"See, Em?" he said. "There was nothing to worry about." He looked up at Embry and smiled.

"Yeah," the older wolf said. He'd unconsciously leaned into Tyson's side, resting his head on the vamp's shoulder. "I was getting worried."

"Why? You thought we were having second thoughts?" Tyson asked.

"Among other things," Embry said. He couldn't put words to what he'd been thinking, but he knew that Tyson would be able to pick the feelings out of his head. He reached out a hand and started toying with a lock of Seth's hair. His fingers touched David's and there was a momentary spark between the four of them. The four of them took a small breath, held it for a second, and released it at the same time.

"Do you miss your families?" Seth asked.

"Family, singular," David said. His speech-rig buzzed softly for a second before the Cajun accent was replaced by the chorus of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family". It was a few seconds before he spoke again. "It was a pretty unusual arrangement."

"How so?" Rosalie asked. The question surprised everyone, coming from her. As well it should, since she hadn't shown much interest in David and Tyson since they'd arrived nearly eighteen hours ago.

"To answer that question, we'd have to go pretty far back," Tyson said. "It's going to be a pretty long story."

"That's fine," Emmett said. "We like long stories." He grinned and sat on the other couch directly opposite Tyson.

"Can I ask a question?" Seth asked.

"You just did," David said with a grin.

"I know," Seth said. "I meant that I have a question."

"Sure," Tyson said. "What is it?"

"What does '_loeur Dieu_' mean?"

"It's French for 'Praise God'," Tyson said. "I was thanking Him for finally bringing that trip to an end."

"Oh, stop griping," Alice said. "It only lasted a few hours."

Tyson snorted. "A few hours...I could've conquered Europe in the time it took us to finish."

"It was time and money well spent," Rosalie said. "You needed a serious wardrobe upgrade."

"Enough," David said. "Don't we have a story to tell?" For once, he was focused on something serious and wanted to get it out of the way.

"Right," Tyson said. "How far back to go..."

"As far back as necessary," Jasper said. Tyson hadn't even noticed him coming in. "We have all the time in the world."

"Okay. I guess we'd have to start with our parents." He sighed and looked at the ceiling, trying to find the right words. "The four of them grew up together in a tiny Louisiana town that was basically a wide spot in the road. It didn't have a proper name, or at least not one that could be used in polite company. They were best friends, a regular Musketeers-type group: all for one and one for all. Whatever trouble happened, it was a safe bet that one or more of them had a hand in it. Of course, if one of their plans got a little too wooly to handle, they'd put a stop to it before it could hurt anyone."

Rosalie and Alice had settled on the couch with Emmett, with Jasper seated on the arm closest to Alice. They were all paying attention, listening with typical vampire focus.

"As they grew older, their relationship didn't change so much as expand. They'd been best friends their whole lives; it made sense to them that they should become lovers as well. Labels like 'straight', 'gay', and 'bi' didn't hold any meaning for them. They just did as they pleased without worrying about such things. And as often as they gave in to their urges, it was nothing short of a miracle that our mothers didn't get pregnant before they could drive." Tyson chuckled at that; he remembered how his father and mother had explained the relationship, trying to find the right words to get the point across without scarring their ten-year-old son's psyche. David's parents had gone through the same thing, only with less embarrassment.

"So they were close," Rosalie said.

David nodded. "That would be the understatement of the decade," he said. "They spent every waking moment together, getting up to all kinds of mischief. It got to the point where people started calling them the Fearsome Foursome." A booming laugh erupted from his rig, echoing off the walls.

"Anyway," Tyson said, taking back control of the narrative, "they saved their money and headed off to the same college. Made their mark there and graduated with honors. They moved to Baton Rouge and bought a fairly large two-family house. My parents became police officers while David's became the best software engineers in the parish." He paused again, taking a moment to rub his thumb along Embry's cheek.

David took advantage of the lull and picked up the thread of the story again. " Ty, my twin sister Felicia, and I came along a couple of years later. Born in the same hospital on the same day, within minutes of each other. How's that for timing?"

Emmett chuckled. "Pretty good. The parental units only had to make the one trip. Way to help them save on gas."

"Thank you," Tyson said wryly. "As much time as the four of them spent together, it was amazing that they found enough privacy to conceive us." He shook his head. "They had healthy sex drives, grabbing any opportunity that presented itself. That's how we wound up with Kaleb and Kolbi."

"Who are they?" Alice asked.

"Our little brothers," Tyson said. "Identical twins, the result of my father and David's mother getting together one fine evening. They're maybe two years younger than us and quite the little hellraisers." He chuckled at that, wondering what the little monsters were up to at that very moment. He was so caught up in that thought that he barely noticed the reactions of the other vampires.

David noticed Rosalie looking a little pensive and asked, "Something on your mind, Rosie?"

Rosalie bristled at that, but she managed to keep her emotions under control. "It's nothing," she said.

"No, please," David said, "ask your question."

"All right," she said. She squared her shoulders, as if preparing to be executed, and continued. "I was just wondering: how did they never catch anything?" she asked. "As promiscuous as they were, they should have come down with SOMETHING."

Tyson frowned and fixed a golden-eyed glare on her. "First off, they were not promiscuous. They never had sex with anyone besides each other, so they never caught any STDs. Second, the very thought of adultery was enough to make them nauseous. They were the poster kids for fidelity; we couldn't have asked for better role models in that regard. The only thing that set them apart from other relationships was that there were four of them instead of the usual two. So we'll thank you to keep your misguided assumptions to yourself." How he managed to keep from growling, he'd never know.

"Ty...please calm down," David said. "She didn't mean anything by it." He turned to Rosalie and said, "Our parents didn't have a traditional relationship, but they loved each other very much. They would've gotten married if such a thing had been legal at the time. We saw how they were with each other. It wasn't just boy-girl, boy-girl. Our fathers showed affection toward each other, kissed each other, even copped a feel from time to time. Our mothers were the same way. No one felt left out or neglected. We and our brothers and my sister...we looked at our parents and we hoped that we'd be that lucky someday. And now Ty and I have found exactly what our parents have." He looked at Seth and Embry, then back to Rosalie. "We know that we can make this work, because we've seen that it's possible. And not to sound overly dramatic, but heaven help anyone who stands in our way." He slid off of the couch and wrapped his arms around Seth, nuzzling the wolf's neck. Seth smiled as he dozed on Tyson's knee and laid his hand on David's leg.

"I doubt our parents could've predicted this for us," Tyson said. He looked at Embry; the slender boy was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Tyson smiled and asked, "Feeling bored, _beau loup_?"

"No," Embry said. "Just haven't slept much lately." He curled his arm around Tyson's waist and laid his head on the big vampire's shoulder.

David stood and pulled Seth up with him, gently pushing the younger wolf onto the couch next to Tyson. Then he settled himself next to Embry, pressing one ear to the russet-toned skin of his back. He smiled as he listened to Embry's heartbeat, wrapping his arms around the wolf-boy's waist and closing his eyes.

"Aw..." Alice said, watching the four of them and smiling. "I think I'll get my camera. This is just too adorable." She jumped off the couch and darted up the stairs before Tyson could say anything.

He closed his eyes and let his head flop onto the back of the couch again. "I swear, she is a hurricane in a miniskirt," he said.

Emmett laughed and reached across to clap Tyson on the shoulder. "Got that right, brother," he said. "And to think you actually volunteered to be her new Ken doll." He leaned back and slung an arm around Rosalie, grinning like the idiot he wasn't.

"I know," Tyson said, "and I'm already regretting it." He looked at the pile of bags and boxes in the den and shuddered. Seth and Embry groaned softly in their sleep and tightened their grips on him. David looked up at him and smiled, projecting a thought through the T-link: _How did we get so lucky?_

_I don't know, _cheri, he thought back. _We just are. _He stretched his arm out and draped it over David's shoulders.

Rosalie and Emmett got up and headed upstairs. God only knew what they'd be getting up to and Tyson was in no hurry to find out.

"There's more to the story, isn't there?" Jasper asked. Tyson nodded.

"Feel like finishing it?"

Tyson shook his head. "Not right now. To be honest, it felt like we should've waited for the whole family to be here before we started."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Jasper said. "Alice and I will fill Bella and Edward in later, and Carlisle and Esme will wait til you're ready to tell them."

"Okay."

Jasper tilted his head slightly and said, "Esme wanted me to ask you when your birthdays were. I wanted to ask this morning, but Alice didn't give me much of an opening."

"I don't mind, and it's hardly your fault that Alice is a little whirlwind. Our birthday is October seventeenth," Tyson said. "Why would Esme want to know?"

"Because she wants to make it special for you. We rarely get a chance to celebrate around here and your human birthday is a good reason to throw a party." Jasper smiled and continued, "Of course, it means that Alice will want to help plan the party and she goes overboard with those too."

"Oh, goody," Tyson said, rolling his eyes. "I can hardly wait." He closed his eyes just as the little whirlwind herself came back down with her camera.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to search through my closet to find this," she said.

"Didn't you get lost in there once?" Jasper asked.

Alice ignored the question and aimed the camera, snapping the picture just as Tyson smirked. "There we go," she said. "That'll look good in the family album."

"Can I see?" David asked.

Alice handed him the camera and he looked at the picture she'd just taken. It showed him, Seth, Embry, and Tyson cuddling on the sofa and looking like they'd fallen asleep in one big puppy pile. It was a cute picture. "I'd like a copy for my album too, please," he said.

Alice smiled. "Consider it done."

"_Merci, ma petite,_" David said as he rested his head on Embry's back once more. He closed his eyes and luxuriated in the contact with his mates. Everything felt so right: a new home, a new family, a new life. His thoughts turned briefly to something considerably less pleasant of their own accord.

_Will all this be enough to keep us safe? _he wondered. _Who knows? We'll find out for certain if – or _when _– Rex finds us. _He put the disturbing thought out of his mind and concentrated on the here and now. _We'll find out soon enough._

**Author's note: **Well, there we have it: some of David and Tyson's history, starting with their parents. The second part of their story will be told in a later chapter. There's just too much to fit it all into this one. Once again, I thank you for your patience. Please read and review. Thanks! :)


	9. Chapter 8:  On The Floor

**Author's note: **This chapter will be a one-on-one with Embry and David. There will be some heavy making out, but no sex. If two young men kissing and groping each other isn't your thing, please do not read any further. You have been warned. :)

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 8: On The Floor

Embry woke up a couple of hours later with one arm wrapped around Tyson's waist and feeling as if something was missing. He shifted a little and realized that David wasn't behind him anymore. The last thing he remembered was the smaller vampire hugging him from behind, his ice-cold cheek pressed to Embry's back.

Tyson detected Embry's confusion and answered the unspoken question. "Dav's in the den. He had another idea while you and Seth were sleeping," he said. "I don't know what he's up to, but it's bound to be interesting." He smiled and kissed the top of Embry's head. "You want to go in there, don't you?"

Embry nodded. "I didn't think I'd get used to this so fast," he said.

"Me either," Tyson said. "Life's funny that way. Just full of curve balls." He looked into Embry's eyes. "I bet Dav could use some company right about now. Don't worry about Seth. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Okay," Embry said. He stood and stretched. Tyson watched the muscles sliding under the smooth skin and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. Embry looked at him over his shoulder, one corner of his mouth tilted up in a knowing half-smile.

"Just go before I bend you over the coffee table," Tyson said with a huge grin. Embry blushed and headed for the den as quickly as he could while maintaining an air of nonchalance.

He found David sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor, frowning as several tools and electronic components floated in front of him. The gadget was hovering roughly a foot off the floor just above a pile of mismatched parts. Whatever David was working on, it seemed to be frustrating him, because he blew a raspberry and set the thing on the floor. He planted his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand, tilting his head left and right as if trying to read the future in the circuit patterns.

Embry was enchanted by the cuteness of the scene, the vampire's frown failing to detract from the overall appeal. He knelt next to David and waited for him to notice him. When no response was forthcoming, he reached out a hand and laid it on the vampire's bare shoulder. David seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and turned to look at him.

"What you working on?" Embry asked.

"No idea," David said. He returned his attention to the contraption on the floor and frowned again. "I don't think this one is going anywhere." He waved his free hand and the gadget collapsed, spilling its cybernetic guts onto the floor in a surprisingly neat pile. He looked at Embry again. "Sometimes I get an idea and it seems like a good one at the time, but for some reason or other it doesn't work out. Usually I finish them even if I don't know what the purpose is, because I eventually find some use for them. But that one just felt a little..._wrong_."

Embry frowned a little now himself. "Wrong how?" he asked in a somewhat confused tone.

"You ever get a bad feeling about something, but you can't pinpoint a specific reason for it?" David asked.

Embry nodded.

"I get that feeling with some of my projects," David said. "I start on one and it goes pretty much according to plan. But then I start to get this wiggly little feeling in the back of my brain, like there's a nest of copperheads crawling around in there. I don't know where those feelings come from, but I've learned to trust them. Something I learned from my parents: Always trust your instincts, even if they don't always make sense." He grinned and a few bars of Oingo Boingo's _Weird Science _issued from the rig. "Strange lesson for a couple of people working in computer science, don't you think?"

"Not really," Embry said. He smiled and continued, "Some of the greatest discoveries in history came about because someone followed their instincts. Logic isn't the only thing that drives progress forward. You need a certain degree of intuition too."

"True enough," David agreed. He tilted his head til it was nearly parallel to the floor and regarded Embry with an intense look on his face. Embry blushed and looked down at the floor, unused to such scrutiny.

"Why'd you come in here?" David asked. There was no hostility in the question, just honest curiosity.

"I woke up and you were gone. I was scared for a minute because I didn't know where you were." Embry swallowed, his throat suddenly dry as the anxiety started to return. The thought of losing David and Tyson left a bad taste in his mouth, the same as it would if Seth were somehow taken from him. He didn't like feeling this way, but he couldn't stop it.

David turned his body toward Embry and cupped the wolf's face in his hands. The icy touch felt good on his overheated skin, gentle and soothing. Embry closed his eyes and leaned his head into David's left hand, nuzzling the smooth palm with his cheek. He was rewarded with a hitch in the vampire's breathing and he opened his eyes. He lifted his hand and covered David's, holding it in place.

A small squeal of static burst from the speaker on David's wrist before the rig shut off completely. Embry wondered, a little randomly, if it had overloaded. He looked down and saw that the rig had somehow detached itself and lay on the floor a couple of feet away. _How'd it get over there? _he wondered. The question lasted all of a second before he got an answer.

_I don't know,_ David thought. Embry's eyes widened as he recognized the voice from the rig, only he was hearing it _inside his head_. How was that happening?

David's own eyes were as big as saucers as he realized what had happened. _Mon Dieu...you heard me?_

Embry nodded but didn't respond; he probably wouldn't have even if he'd had an answer to the question. This latest development was too much of a shock and it threatened to shut his brain down completely. He tightened his grip on David's hand in an attempt to keep from fainting.

Fortunately David was in slightly better control of himself. _It's all right, _chere, he thought. _More than likely, it's just a new aspect of our bond showing itself. _He leaned toward Embry and pressed their foreheads together. _You don't have to be scared. Ty and I aren't going anywhere; we won't ever abandon you and Seth. _He felt the fear and anxiety in Embry's mind subside after he said that; the wolf had been scared to death of being abandoned and David's words had put that fear to rest for the time being.

Embry slipped his arms around David and hugged him tight, burying his face in the vampire's neck. The way they were connected now, it was impossible to lie. David and Tyson loved Embry and Seth with a fierce heat that was in direct contrast to their cold stone flesh. Embry was shocked that they hadn't burned to ashes from the intensity of the emotion.

David hugged Embry just as tight; he was fairly certain he'd leave bruises on the wolf's skin when they finally let go. Broken bones were also a possibility. He loosened his grip and pressed his nose to Embry's neck, inhaling the heady masculine scent. _Wow, _he thought. _Who knew that wet dog could be such an..._appealing _smell?_

Embry chuckled and David shivered as the sound vibrated along his skin. It went straight to his cock and he was painfully hard in no time. He whimpered inside the new T-link and Embry echoed it with an audible sound. The wolf tightened his grip, nearly cracking the vampire's skin, but David didn't mind. Embry needed reassurance and he would get it. Projecting through the T-link, David thought, _Not gonna abandon our _loups beau.

_What's that mean? _Embry asked.

_Handsome wolves, _David answered. He kissed Embry's cheek and he pumped his hips, rubbing himself on the other boy's blazing-hot body. They moaned inside the T-link, not wanting to disturb anyone else in the house. Their lips met and they kissed, ice-cold stone and burning-hot flesh meeting and molding themselves to each other.

Embry broke the kiss in order to catch his breath. He wrapped his arms around David and hugged him tightly. He felt the vampire nuzzle his neck, licking along the throbbing artery beating just below the skin.

_God help me, _David thought. _I want to bite you... _He whimpered and pressed his forehead to Embry's shoulder; the wolf could feel him fighting the urge to sink his teeth into him. David gritted his teeth and stopped breathing. _Can't hurt you...not food...you and Seth aren't food... _He repeated the litany over and over, trying to find a place of calmness.

Embry tightened his grip on David and pressed his lips to the vampire's cheek. _You're not gonna hurt me, _he thought. _If you want to bite me, you can. Just be careful about your venom._

David shivered at the strength of the faith Embry had in him and his self-control. He wasn't sure what he and Tyson had done right to deserve these two _loups beau_, but he wasn't going to question it. _Not gonna bite you..._can't _bite you...the other _loups _would get really pissed..._

Embry couldn't argue with that. Jacob, Quil, Daniel, and Devin might be more forgiving than the Uley pack, but even they had their limits. It wouldn't look good if he and Seth started showing up with bite marks on their bodies. Still, the idea had a certain appeal...

_Please, _mon chere, _stop thinking about it, _David begged. He was shaking like he was about to fall to pieces, clearly on the farthest edge of his control. The rig, nearly forgotten, started playing the Supremes' _Stop! In The Name of Love_. That was enough to snap them out of their lust-induced trance.

When he'd calmed down, David pulled back enough to look Embry in the eyes. The wolf's brown eyes were filled with concern. David curled his fingers around the back of Embry's neck and kissed him again. A shudder ran through their bodies at the contact and they fell to the floor. Thankfully, they didn't have far to fall and wound up with David on top.

Embry tugged at the hem of David's tank top, trying to pull it off. David broke the kiss, pushed up long enough to remove and discard the shirt, and promptly went back to kissing Embry. Their moans echoed through the T-link as their bodies slid together.

_Been wanting this since we first saw you, _Embry thought. He bit down on David's lower lip and pulled on it a bit before releasing it. _Need you both so much now..._

_We know, _David replied. _We need you and Seth just as much. _He pressed his lips to Embry's jaw, nipping the tan skin as gently as he could. It wouldn't do to leave any visible marks in conspicuous places, at least not until they could do so without triggering an incident. The last thing David and Tyson wanted to do was piss off their in-laws. Embry caught that thought and chuckled. David smiled and silenced the soft laughter with another kiss.

Realizing that this was neither the time nor the place to indulge their hormones, they spent the next several minutes kissing and holding each other, taking a break every few seconds so that Embry could catch his breath. Their hands weren't idle either; they touched and caressed every spot they could reach, occasionally squeezing or digging their nails into each other.

After a sufficient amount of time had passed, they released each other and sat up again. David pulled his tank top back on, retrieving his speech-rig and strapping it on. He smiled a little sheepishly, looking down at the floor and tucking an imaginary strand of hair behind his ear. He folded his hands in his lap, not quite knowing what to do with them.

For his part, Embry licked his swollen lips. They had gotten a little numb from the chill of David's skin, but they were warming up again. The feel of a vampire's body on his... If someone had told him after he first phased that he'd find himself enjoying such contact, he'd have laughed. Right now, he needed to take his mind off of it, no matter how impossible it seemed.

Taking a deep breath, he gestured at the pile of parts on the floor. "Would you like some help with that?" he asked. "I don't know much about this kind of thing, but I'd like to try."

David grinned and nodded. "I'd like that," he said. "Who knows? Maybe all that's needed is a fresh perspective." He leaned forward and pecked Embry on the cheek. The wolf blushed and they set about reassembling the problem gadget, talking in low but excited whispers.

**Author's note: **Okay. There we go, step two of setting up the foursome. I hope I didn't screw something up somewhere; I had a bear of a time with certain sections, especially the chapter title. It finally came to me when I was listening to Jennifer Lopez. Silly, I know. XD Please read and review. Thank you! :D


	10. Chapter 9:  Long Story, Part 2

**Author's Note: **And here we go with the Seth/Tyson one-on-one. Once again, there will be some heavy making out, but no actual sex. That will come in a later chapter, not necessarily the one after this. In this chapter, Tyson will go a little more in-depth about his and David's childhood and family life. Enjoy, and please read and review. Thank you! :)

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 9: Long Story Part 2 – In The Kitchen

Seth rolled onto his back and yawned hugely, stretching his arms over his head. He'd had such a peaceful nap; he hoped that Embry had been as lucky.

He opened his eyes and found Tyson smiling down at him. The vampire leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, sending a little shiver of pleasure through Seth's body. He lifted his head and managed to plant one on Tyson's chin before the vampire could pull out of reach. They both grinned and Seth sat up. That was when he noticed that David and Embry were gone.

Tyson caught the momentary panic in Seth's thoughts and pulled the young wolf into his arms. "It's all right, _l'amour_," he said. "They're in the den working on one of David's projects. You've been asleep for the last few hours." He pulled Seth into his lap, turning him so that the smaller boy was straddling his legs. "And sawing lumber like nobody ever did! _Mon Dieu_, _loup beau, _I've never heard such snoring."

Seth blushed and ducked his head down. "You should hear Jake sometime," he said. "He snores so loud, they probably get noise complaints from Seattle." He draped his arms over Tyson's shoulders and smiled up at him. He felt a little tingle down below as he realized that he was parked right on Tyson's groin. Not to mention that that part of the vampire's anatomy was waking up to the fact.

Tyson took a slow breath, trying to rein in his hormones. It was no small feat; the traitorous little bastards were screaming for him to pin the kid to the floor and ravish him. He managed to shut them up, but it was only a matter of time before they got loose again. He needed to distract himself before he did something that would scandalize the whole family.

He stood up and carried Seth bridal-style to the kitchen, setting him on the counter next to the refrigerator. Opening the door, he started rummaging around for something that Seth might like. "In the mood for anything?" he asked.

_Hmmm...bend over a little more and we'll see, _the kid thought. Tyson stood and gave him a narrow-eyed look. Seth smiled and gave him an innocent puppy-dog look.

"Maybe I should rephrase the question. Is there anything in the fridge that you want to eat?"

_You really shouldn't give me such good setup lines, you know? _Seth thought with a shit-eating grin on his face. He hopped down off the counter and pushed Tyson out of the way.

The vampire shook his head, unable to keep from smiling. Seth was just as incorrigible as David, but at least he seemed better able to control it. "You seem more comfortable around vampires than your packmates," Tyson said.

Seth answered as he watched Tyson pull several plates of food out of the refrigerator and lay them out on the center island, buffet-style. "I know the stories about the Cold Ones, and I know that most of them are our enemies. But the Cullens aren't like that. They don't drink human blood, so they're not a threat to the tribe. Some of the others still have trouble wrapping their tiny brains around the concept of vegetarian vampires." He reached out and plucked a piece of roast beef off the plate that Tyson had just taken out. He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, studying Tyson like he was trying to read the bigger boy's soul. "How'd you and Dav manage to become vegetarians? I got the feeling that you didn't have anyone to rely on but each other."

Tyson sighed and set the plate down. "You're right about that," he said. He took Seth's hand and led him over to the island. "Here. You eat, I'll talk."

"Deal," Seth said with a smile. He finished off the roast beef in his hand and picked up an empty plate, piling it with more food than three boys his size could eat. He grabbed a fork, hopped onto the counter, and dug in, motioning for Tyson to start.

"Dav and I come from a pretty big family," Tyson said. "You already know about our parents and their relationship. What you don't know is that we have several brothers and sisters."

Seth raised his eyebrows at that, his cheeks bulging like a chipmunk's. Tyson grinned and went on. "We mentioned Dav's sister, Felicia, and our little brothers Kaleb and Kolbi. We also have three little sisters: Anna, Roma, and Emma. They're identical triplets, the products of my mother and Dav's father having some fun one Fourth of July." He looked out the window, watching the rain run down the glass. "I don't know what it is about Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ray; it seems like they're hardwired to produce multiple kids in one pop. I'm the only singleton in the bunch."

He looked back at Seth. "Dav and I were damn near inseparable. From the time we took our first steps, I took it on myself to look out for him. He and Lisey were close, but she was something of a loner; she was happy to leave the bodyguard duty to me. Dav wasn't always happy about it, but he knew it was necessary. You wouldn't believe how many bullies thought they could pick on him just because he couldn't talk." Tyson smiled as he looked back at the cloudy human memories. "I quickly disabused them of that notion."

Seth put his empty plate aside and wiped his hands on his shorts. Not the best table manners in the world, Tyson thought, but it wasn't as if they were at a cotillion or anything. His next actions surprised him; he walked over and stood directly in front of Seth, spreading the young wolf's legs with his hips and making the kid's eyes widen in shock. Tyson understood the reaction; he wasn't usually the type to take any action without considering the risks and consequences. At the moment, he didn't want to think; he wanted to _feel_, to act on his instincts and to hell with the consequences.

The next thing Tyson knew, his lips were crushed against Seth's and his hands were on the smooth tan skin of the boy's waist, gripping him hard enough to bruise. He retained enough presence of mind to keep from causing permanent damage; with his newborn strength, Tyson could easily break something if he wasn't careful.

Seth let loose a muffled gasp as Tyson's tongue licked along his lips, asking permission to enter. Seth opened his mouth and Tyson slid his tongue inside, running it along the boy's teeth. He let loose a sound that was somewhere between a whimper and a snarl as he explored Seth's mouth. He felt the boy echo the sound as the kiss deepened.

Seth reached up and grabbed double fistfuls of Tyson's golden-blond hair, tugging on it in an attempt to bring him closer. Tyson growled again from the slight twinge of pain and pressed his body tighter to Seth's. The wolf wrapped his legs around the vampire's waist and whimpered into the kiss as Tyson's arms slid around him and pulled him impossibly closer.

_How are we not melting? _Seth wondered. He felt hot enough to burst into flames; what must Tyson be feeling?

_Like I'm about to explode, _chere, Tyson thought back. He pressed his groin against Seth's and they both groaned as their rods strained against the denim of their cutoffs.

Seth wanted nothing more than for Tyson to just rip their clothes off and have at it right there. But a tiny part of his mind that retained a shred of sanity insisted that this was not the way it should happen. As much as he wanted Tyson, it didn't feel right. Not without David and Embry there to share in the experience.

_Ty...stop..., _he thought/gasped. _We can't do this here._

Tyson pulled back with great difficulty, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to Seth's. He was breathing hard and Seth could still feel the vampire's arousal pressing into his thigh. He was tempted to reach down and rub it through the denim, but that would only fan the flames.

He cupped Tyson's face in his hands; he needed something to take Tyson's mind off of what his body was screaming for. "When did you figure out that you were in love with Dav?" he asked. That seemed like a safe question.

Tyson swallowed, trying to rein in his hormones enough to answer the question. He coughed a little and said in a voice much rougher than usual, "We were fifteen. It was New Year's Eve and we were watching the ball drop with our family. We were standing behind the sofa because all the seats were filled." He chuckled and the sound vibrated Seth down to his toes. "Twenty seconds before the ball touched down, he pulled me to the foyer and pointed at the ceiling. I looked up and saw the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the chandelier. I looked back at him and realized what he wanted to do. It didn't take much convincing on his part; we were kissing while everyone else was yelling 'Happy New Year'." He chuckled again and continued. "Two weird things about that night: First off, I'd been trying to screw together enough courage to kiss him for months. He must have sensed it because he came up with the perfect excuse for me to do it." He opened his eyes and locked on Seth's dark brown ones.

"And what was the second thing?" Seth asked after a few seconds of silence.

"That our parents had seen it coming." Tyson smiled and bumped Seth's nose with his own. "As a matter of fact, later on that day, they asked what had been taking so long. Then they sat us down and proceeded to give us the standard lectures about love and safety." He squeezed his eyes shut at that memory. "As if we needed all of that. They'd already drilled every crumb of sex education into our heads when we were old enough to ask where we came from. They saved some of the harder topics for when we hit the sixth grade. I'm pretty sure the triplets have heard them by now."

"Your parents were pretty open about sex, huh?" Seth asked.

"Yes, they were. They answered our questions honestly and without any embarrassment. They did everything short of acting it out." Tyson grinned at Seth's wide-eyed reaction. "And no, they never fucked in front of us. That would've been taking it too far. In fact, I think that would be considered child abuse." He frowned for a second and shook his head, as if erasing the idea from his mind. Seth giggled and kissed his cheek.

Tyson responded by nuzzling Seth's neck and in no time at all, they were kissing again. They took it a little slower this time, in no hurry to ravish each other. They were like that a few minutes later when David, Embry, Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice came into the kitchen.

"Good God, get a room!" Emmett said, letting loose one of his booming laughs.

Rosalie had her trademark scowl locked on her face. "Must you do that in here? It's unsanitary. Were you raised by wolves?" she asked.

Seth laughed at that while Embry smiled and Tyson said, "It's the twenty-first century, _chere souer_. People have sex pretty much anywhere these days. Besides, it's not like you've got any room to judge anyone's sex lives. From what we heard earlier, you and Emmett don't exactly need heavy equipment to demolish a house." He gave her a wolfish grin and she glowered back at him.

"Not unless you count Emmett's wrecking balls and battering ram," Embry said. Everyone stared at him for a second and then everyone except Rosalie busted out laughing. Embry smiled his usual small smile and set about filling up a plate with food while Seth helped himself to seconds.

David looked at Tyson and leaned on the island, a small smile on his lips. "What?" Tyson said after a few seconds. It wasn't like the smaller vampire to hold his tongue, so to speak.

The speech-rig crackled for a second and then David's "voice" poured from the speaker with its smooth Cajun accent. "Nothing," he said, but the smirk on his face said that _something _was tickling his funnybone.

"Out with it," Tyson said, "or no sex for a month."

"Please," David said and grinned, a perfect copy of Emmett's moose-call laugh issuing from his rig. "Like you could hold out that long." Tyson narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Okay, okay," David said. "You usually overthink everything and I just thought that it's refreshing to see you act on your instincts for once. It certainly felt like you were enjoying yourself when I opened a T-link to check on you."

Tyson went saucer-eyed at that part. "You opened a T-link? HOW?"

"I don't know," David said. "Embry and I were making out in the den and it just happened. Like with the speaker." He paused and pursed his lips, thinking for a second. "Maybe it's an extension of that." He looked sheepish as he said, "And I was able to channel my thoughts through the rig when I wasn't wearing it. Another unexpected perk."

Tyson was about to ask how when Rosalie put an end to any further speculation with her next question. "What were you two talking about before you started mauling each other?" she asked. Again, Tyson detected that weird mix of disdain and curiosity. _I swear, her mood swings are harder to predict than an asteroid strike, _he thought to himself.

"I asked him when he first knew that he was in love with Dav," Seth said. "I was trying to calm him down so we didn't make it like rabbits on the counter. Probably not the best question I could've asked." He blushed and crossed his legs. "Before that, I asked how they became vegetarians. He hasn't gotten around to answering that one yet."

"I was just getting around to that," Tyson said. He took a seat on one of the stools and folded his hands on the counter. "We were just two weeks past our eighteenth birthday and we wanted to go to this Halloween rave. My parents, the cops, were dead set against it. Being the hardheads that we are, Dav and I thought that we were mature enough to handle ourselves. After all, we were adults in the eyes of the law. So we snuck out and headed off to the rave."

"In other words, you behaved like the idiotic harebrained males that you are," Rosalie said.

"Basically," David said. He smiled at Tyson, who just frowned at him.

"Anyway," Tyson continued, "we got lost about twenty minutes after we left. Some moron had screwed up and put the wrong directions in the e-vite, so we ended up at this abandoned research facility right near the Mississippi River. We were about to turn around and try a different direction when somebody slammed us from behind and knocked us out."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "And when we woke up, we were in Hell."

**Author's note: **The long story continues...and this chapter ends on a cliffhanger. Usually I can't stand them, but for some reason, this is the second one in here. They must be growing on me. Next chapter, we'll be getting into the transformation part of the story. Please read and review. Thank you! :)


	11. Chapter 10: Long Story, Part 3

**Author's Note: **And here we are: the chapter where Tyson and David reveal how they became vampires and why they ended up on the run. It might also be the longest chapter; there is considerable ground to cover. This is going to be a flashback, so I'll be using italics for the whole thing except when Tyson is reading someone's thoughts or when he and David are using sign language. The SL dialogue will be identified by double colons.

**Rated M for violence, strong violence, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 10: Long Story, Part 3 – The Burning Time

_Tyson groaned and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, barely able to keep his balance. His head was throbbing and felt like it was about to explode. He felt the urge to vomit but managed to choke it back._

_When the headache faded to a dull roar, he lifted his head and looked around. The room was brightly lit – which only added to his pain – and done all in white. There were a pair of what looked like hospital gurneys on one wall and several glass-fronted storage cabinets on another. Several rows of large drawers took up the wall opposite the gurneys. From the looks of the place, Tyson guessed that he was in a morgue._

_A small rustling noise behind him alerted him to another presence in the room. He spun on his knees and nearly threw up from the suddenness of the move. He raised his fists, ready to fight. But instead of an attacker, he found David rolling onto his back and squeezing his eyes shut against the brightness of the light._

"Cheri,_" he said and scrambled over to the other boy. He laid a hand on David's cheek, caressing the light tan skin. The pain etched into David's fine-boned features slowly dissipated and he opened his eyes. Relief flooded through Tyson's body as the grey orbs focused on him and lit up with recognition. He helped him sit up and held him steady while he regained control of his gag reflex._

_When he was awake enough to look around, David turned to Tyson and signed, _::Where are we?::

::I don't know,:: _Tyson signed back. He looked around again. _::The closest I can figure is that we're in a morgue.::

_David's eyes widened and he pointed behind Tyson. The bigger boy turned around and saw that they had company._

_A man and a woman stood roughly twenty feet away, well out of Tyson's reach. They were quite the couple. The man was maybe six feet tall and muscled like a quarterback, the light glinting off his platinum-blond hair. The woman was a couple of inches shorter, although her true height was masked by the presence of four-inch stiletto-heeled boots. She had brunette hair and a cruel smirk on her face._

_They were both white as a sheet and their skin glittered under the harsh fluorescent lights. The most startling feature they had in common was that their eyes were red. That alone was enough to tell Tyson that they were far beyond normal. He positioned himself in front of David and lifted his fists, ready to fight even if he wasn't in the best of shape at the moment._

"_Oh, isn't that adorable?" the woman said in a somewhat high-pitched voice. "He thinks he can fight us." She smiled and Tyson was reminded of one Discovery Channel special about great white sharks._

"_It's only natural, my dear," the man said, taking a couple of steps toward the boys. "Human nature being what it is, I would expect nothing less. Rising up and willing to take on any opponent, all in the defense of his mate." He grinned, showing unnaturally white teeth. "I would expect nothing less from a soldier."_

_Tyson glared at him, narrowing his sapphire-blue eyes. "And what makes you think I'd fight for you?"_

"_Because I don't plan on giving you a choice," the man replied. He darted forward, faster than Tyson could follow, and jabbed a steel needle into his chest. A few milliseconds later, he'd done the same thing to David. _

How's he move so fast? _Tyson thought. He didn't get a chance to consider the question because his mind was suddenly consumed by blinding pain._

_The burning started in his heart and spread everywhere, a horrific sensation that made him feel like he was on fire. How he kept from screaming, he didn't know, but he got the impression that it wouldn't have helped. _This must be what it feels like to be burned alive, _he thought. He managed to look at David and saw that his lover was feeling the exact same thing. The smaller boy was screaming, even though no sound was coming from his mouth._

_Tyson fought through the pain to move to David's side, pulling him up and hugging him tight. They wrapped their arms around each other and shut their eyes, trying their best to block out the pain and failing miserably. He could feel David's face pressing into his neck, the lithe body shuddering as the pain continued on its way._

"_Impressive," the man said. "They're in unendurable agony and yet they're not screaming for death. They will make excellent additions to our coven once they're properly trained."_

"_It's pathetic how they're holding on to each other, and unnatural," the woman said. "I'll separate them."_

"_No," the man said. "Let them cling to each other, if it brings them some comfort. Besides, Bon-Bon, you must learn some tolerance. Times have changed since you were turned. Such relationships are no longer considered taboo, and even if they are..." He paused for a moment, thinking it over, and then went on. "We will leave them together. If we keep them both alive, we'll have excellent leverage." He looked at the two boys huddled together. "Love may make the world go round, but it also makes for a useful bit of extortion." He turned and started for the door. "Come. Let's leave them to it."_

_Bon-Bon scowled at the boys for a moment, then turned and followed the man out. Tyson and David were left alone to burn._

_/ \\\\_

_It seemed to take forever, but the pain finally subsided and they were finally able to relax a bit. Tyson felt strange; his nose was twitching from an overload of olfactory stimuli, as if it had grown sharper while they were burning. He opened his eyes and gasped._

_Everything stood out, absolutely _everything_. He could see the pock marks in the ceiling and walls; they'd looked so smooth before. And the floor...he could make out the subtle swirls and deformities in the otherwise mirror-perfect finish. He went completely still and was a little unnerved by how quick and natural it felt._

_David lifted his head, keeping his eyes closed. Tyson's own eyes widened as he took in the changes in his lover._

_David had been beautiful before, but now he was breathtaking. His skin had been tan, the result of eighteen summers' worth of sun. He'd been a lovely shade of brown all over, with no tan lines anywhere. That tan was gone now, replaced by white marble._

_The biggest shock came when David opened his eyes. Tyson gasped as he took in the unthinkable sight: where they'd been grey before, now they were the same blazing red as the man's eyes. But Tyson's own reactions were placed on the back burner when David was able to focus on him._

_The smaller boy gasped and pushed against Tyson's chest like he was trying to get away. Tyson tightened his grip a little and David winced as if he was in pain. He redoubled his efforts and Tyson let go to keep him from hurting himself. _

_David's efforts were more strenuous than they'd realized. He pushed himself away harder than he intended and propelled himself into the wall between the gurneys. The impact left a human-sized crater with zigzagging cracks nearly a foot long spiderwebbing out from the perimeter. He sat up, made a pained face, and set about examining himself for any injuries._

_Tyson stared in shock. It didn't look as if David had suffered the slightest injury from hitting the wall. If anything, he'd been knocked back to his senses by the impact. _Mon Dieu...what did that bastard DO to us?

_David finished his self-inspection, seeming much calmer now. He looked up at Tyson and tilted his head a bit. The expression on his face was a perfect match for the one that Tyson felt on his own. Shock and denial, with just a dash of wonder and insanity... Yeah, "insane" was the perfect word for their current situation. Which made the next occurrence the second-to-last straw._

What happened? Your beautiful skin...and your eyes. Good God, they're not blue anymore... _David crawled over and knelt in front of Tyson. He touched his fingertips to the bigger boy's face and slowly drew them along Tyson's jawline. The sensation was strange and familiar at the same time; it wasn't the same. Instead it felt as if Tyson could feel every ridge of David's fingerprints rasping along his skin. Tyson grabbed David's wrists and held his hands still, mouth open in shock. It was maybe a minute before he realized that he'd stopped breathing. _

"_Did you just talk?" he asked. David shook his head._

"_Then how..." Tyson stopped and pursed his lips as an absurd possibility occurred to him. "Think of that one New Year's Eve. The most important details."_

_David frowned as if Tyson had lost his mind, but he complied. _Okay. Now what...Ah! The feel of your lips on mine, the taste of your tongue. Your arms around me, pulling me closer...you're kissing me as if you'll never get another shot at it...I wonder what it would feel like now...

"_All right, you can stop now," Tyson said. He was breathing a little fast, but that was to be expected. He hadn't just heard David's thoughts; he'd also gotten the feelings and sensations associated with the memory. _Good God, I can read minds, _he thought._

_Any further contemplation was put on hold when the man and Bon-Bon entered. They each were dragging a teenage girl by one arm. They dumped the girls in front of the cabinets and the man squatted down a few feet away from the boys. Tyson kept his eyes locked on him while David stayed zeroed in on Bon-Bon._

"_Well, well," the man said. "You're finished baking. How do you feel?"_

"_What the FUCK did you do to us?" Tyson snapped._

_The man threw his back and laughed. "That's all the answer I need," he said. "My name is Rex, and I've just given you and your mate a great gift. I've made you into vampires."_

_Tyson narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. A growl started low in his chest and he tensed as if ready to pounce. "You expect us to believe that pile of horse shit?" he asked in a dangerous tone. Although there wasn't enough evidence to support Rex's claim, too many strange things were happening to discount it completely. "Vampires don't have red eyes!"_

_Rex smiled, flashing his teeth. "Forget everything you think you know. Most of those stories are just myths. Crosses, holy water, garlic...total bunk, as is needing an invitation to enter anyone's home. On another note, it's not unheard of for vampires to get dismembered from time to time. Vampires who lose body parts can reconnect them as long as they're not lost or burned. As for sunlight, it can't hurt us, but it _does _make us resemble disco balls with arms and legs. Which is why it's not a good idea for us to wander around during the day. It would attract too much attention, you understand." He spread his hands palms out as if to say "And there you have it."_

"_Of course," Tyson said, his voice dripping with sarcasm._

"_I figured you wouldn't believe me, so I brought a little visual aid." Rex pulled a portable sunlamp from one of the cabinets, aimed it at his face, and switched it on._

_The effect was rather spectacular. The light hit his skin and shattered into countless rainbow-colored shards, splashing across every surface it could reach. Tyson and David stared at this display for a few seconds before Rex shut off the lamp and tossed it aside._

"_That was a full-spectrum sunlamp," he said, "capable of generating light virtually indistinguishable from natural sunlight. And you can see for yourselves that I'm not burning or melting, nor is my eyesight affected in any way. Vulnerability to the sun is one of the many myths forced on us by the Volturi in the last few centuries."_

_Tyson frowned, wondering who these "Volturi" were, but decided not to pursue the question. He'd already gotten the answers from Rex's thoughts and none of them were pleasant. "And I'm guessing you're about to explain their so-called 'laws'," he said._

"_Well, there's really only one law and it's pretty easy to remember: Keep the existence of vampires a secret. If a vampire were stupid enough to reveal himself to anyone, he'd be responsible for containing the leak. Failure to do so might result in the Volturi stepping in and that would not be a good thing for anyone." Rex stood and grabbed one of the unconscious girls and dragged her over in front of Tyson. "Although," Rex went on, "if a human found out and kept his trap shut, there's a good chance that they'd never find out. The Volturi aren't really all that vigilant. They only take care of large-scale security risks that threaten to expose us all."_

"_You don't have a very high opinion of them, do you?" Tyson asked._

"_No, but I do respect their power. Power is one thing that all vampires crave and the Volturi have it in spades. I went to their home city about seventy years ago, hoping to join them. I have the ability to assess physical and psychic potential and I thought that they'd find this useful. Unfortunately they already had a vampire with that skill and I was politely rejected. So I decided to prove myself. I figured that if I delivered enough vampires with unusual talents, they might finally accept me. I've had several successes over the years, but none of them could get me what I wanted." Rex looked at the rows of drawers and frowned. Tyson guessed that he was frustrated by his inability to fulfill his ambition._

_Rex turned back to the boys and continued. "And then I stumbled across the two of you. Just catching sight of you for two seconds was enough to tell me that you would be more powerful than all those others combined. Your strength coupled with the savant's technical skills... Not even the Volturi would be able to stand against you. Such POWER..." _

_Tyson grimaced at the raw avarice on Rex's face and in his voice. It was enough to make him nauseous. "We don't want to fight anyone. We just want to go home."_

"_But you can't go home," Rex said. "And you can't ever see your family again. If you did go back, you'd drain them dry without a second thought. Speaking of which..." He nudged the girl with one foot. "Drink up. You're going to need it."_

_Tyson and David looked up at him, identical horrified expressions on their faces. "We're not going to kill them," Tyson said. "I don't care if we are vampires. We're not killers!"_

"_That will change soon enough," Bon-Bon said, speaking for the first time since she'd come in. "Now just eat your Happy Meals like good little boys and then we can start your training." She favored them with a cruel smile that only served to piss them off._

"_Come now," Rex said. "You must be thirsty. Such incredible dryness in your throats, just begging to be quenched... You _do _know what vampires eat, right?"_

_Tyson hadn't noticed the burning in his throat until Rex had brought his attention to it. Now that he was conscious of it, it felt like someone had taken a blowtorch to his esophagus. He didn't need his newfound telepathy to know that David was feeling it too. They both pushed it aside and returned their focus to the problem in front of them. _

"_Yes," Tyson said, "but there must be other ways to satisfy the thirst. You may have turned us into predators, but we won't become murderers."_

"_The only alternative is animal blood. It works just as well as the human kind, but I wouldn't recommend it." Rex pushed the girl closer. "Now drink. I'm not going to say it again."_

"_Good. Then we won't have to refuse again." Tyson could feel the burning and he knew that the girl's blood would soothe it. But his parents had raised him and David to revere human life and they wouldn't turn their backs on that lesson now._

_He felt rage rising inside him. Ordinarily, he would've held it back; given his size and strength, it would not have been a good thing if he released it whenever the mood struck. But now...he just wanted to kick Rex and Bon-Bon's asses all the way to New Orleans. There was just one question he needed answered first._

"_Why us? Why'd you choose us?"_

"_I already told you: because you have such potential. All we needed was the right bait to get you here. A Halloween rave, the perfect lure for hormone-crazed teenagers. But you were the only ones who got the message." Rex grinned, obviously congratulating himself on his cleverness._

_And THAT was the last straw. Tyson let loose a roar that shook the walls and pushed his rage at the two vampires in front of him. They slammed back into the wall without him having gotten anywhere near them and were pinned like bugs in a trophy case. _So I'm telekinetic too, _Tyson thought. _How convenient.

"Cheri_," Tyson said, "see if there's anything we can use to kill these two." David immediately started rummaging through the cabinets, looking for anything useful._

"_Wait!" Rex shouted. "I thought you didn't want to become a killer!"_

"_That only applies to humans," Tyson replied. The tone in his voice was enough to freeze anyone's heart, even that of a vampire. "As for any vampires who piss us off, we'll do to them what we're about to do to you. Discretely, of course. After all, we wouldn't want to attract any undue attention." He sneered as he said the last part, injecting some of Rex's callousness into the words._

_David had just finished piling up all the wood he could find: chairs, a couple of tables, several mops and brooms. It added up to a good-sized mound; Tyson knew it would suit their needs perfectly._

_David moved the two sleeping girls to a safe distance from the pile; then he doused the broken wood with formaldehyde and set it ablaze with a lighter he'd found hidden in one of the cabinets. The resulting flames reached nearly to the ceiling._

_Tyson pulled Bon-Bon to him, holding her off the ground with his brand-new telekinesis. There was fear in her eyes, but she was defiant to the last. Even as Tyson and David tore off her arms and then her legs, she shrieked curses and obscenities at them. The tirade ended only when Tyson threw her head into the fire._

_They were about to repeat the performance with Rex when they heard a creaking sound from above. They looked up and saw that the ceiling had caught fire and was close to collapsing. Tyson looked at David, then at the girls. They had to get the humans out of here or they would die._

_David nodded as if he'd read Tyson's mind and looked at the wall with his crater in it. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated, pushing hard with his mind and sending chunks of concrete a good forty feet from the building. He picked up one girl and motioned for Tyson to get the other. He dashed out into the night, confident that the bigger boy would follow._

_Tyson picked up the second girl and turned to go. Just as he was to jump through the hole, Rex screamed, "I WILL FIND YOU! NO MATTER HOW FAR YOU RUN OR HOW LONG IT TAKES, I'LL FIND YOU AND RIP YOUR FUCKING HEARTS OUT!"_

_Tyson just looked at him with pity in his eyes, then turned and followed David into the warm November night._

**Author's Note: **And that's the end of the Long Story. It was something of a rush job; there's bound to be some mistakes I missed. I hope you enjoyed it and per usual, please read and review. Thank you! :D

**Author's Note #2: **The foursome will be coming up in the next few chapters. It won't be in the next chapter, but it will happen soon. Thank you for your patience. :)


	12. Chapter 11:  Unwinding

**Author's Note: **This story is going in some pretty strange directions. In my original story idea, Rex and Bon-Bon held David and Tyson captive for at least three weeks before the boys were able to escape. It seemed more logical at the time, but it would have dragged out the flashback for at least one more chapter. I'm a fan of exposition, but that would've taken it too far. In any event, it just feels right that my boys are gifted with being able to learn and adapt at speeds that can boggle the mind of a vampire. Enough about that. On with the story.

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 11: Unwinding

"Wow," Emmett said after Tyson had finished talking.

There really wasn't much else to say about it. Telling that story had drained Tyson emotionally; he folded his arms on the counter and laid his forehead on them. David, Embry, and Seth each rested one hand on him, offering whatever support they could, and he was grateful for it. That period of his and David's life wasn't a place he liked to visit and it had taken a toll.

"What happened to the girls?" Alice asked.

David took up the thread of the story at that point. "We dropped them off at the nearest emergency room, made sure that they'd be found. We'd been damn lucky that the thirst stayed buried long enough for us to do that and we didn't want to push our luck. We hightailed it to the furthest bayou that we knew of, maybe a couple of hours out from Baton Rouge." He sighed and rubbed the back of Tyson's neck. "We stayed out there for nearly three weeks, practicing with our new abilities and getting a handle on our new diet."

"What'd you find to eat out there?" Emmett asked.

David smirked a little as he said, "Let's just say that the gator population took an abrupt downturn. They didn't taste very good, but thankfully flavor wasn't all that important." He paused to watch Seth and Embry as they ate. "And apparently it's not all that important to them either." His rig emitted a stream of soft chuckles; Embry smiled around his fork and Seth laughed out loud.

"When we felt strong enough, we went home." There were several gasps and shocked looks. David waved them away and said, "Relax. We waited til it got dark and everyone was asleep, and then we snuck in. It was beyond ridiculous how easy it was to stay quiet." He rubbed Tyson's neck some more, easing the tension that was building up. "We gathered up a few things and I couldn't resist leaving a note."

"A note?" Rosalie asked, aghast. "You told them what happened?"

"Of course not," David said. "All I wrote was that we were still alive, that it wasn't safe for us to come home, and that we loved them and we'd do our best to keep in touch. So far we've been as good as our word. In any event, there was no need to go into any detail." He looked out the window for a few seconds and turned back to them. "I left it on Momma's nightstand where she'd be sure to see it." He fell silent and started fiddling with Seth's discarded fork.

"What do you mean, you didn't need to go into any detail?" Rosalie asked. There was a dangerous edge to her voice that put everyone on alert. Emmett moved closer to her in the event that she decided to pounce.

"Aunt Sarah is a very powerful psychometrist," Tyson said, his voice muffled by the countertop.

"What's Sigmund Freud got to do with this?" Emmett asked.

Tyson lifted his head from the counter and looked at Emmett. "Not psychiatry. Psychometry," he said. "Aunt Sarah can touch things and tell you their entire history: where they've been, who's owned them, whether they were used in the commission of a crime. She's hardly ever wrong; she's helped Ma and Dad on lots of cases. The minute she picked up the note, she knew everything. I'd bet my life on it."

"So this Sarah knows pretty much everything about what happened to you?" Alice asked.

David nodded. "And it's a safe bet that she told the rest of our parents. They won't say anything about it, not even to our siblings. Nobody outside of our family would believe them. They probably explained it away as an indefinite road trip, which it certainly turned into."

"Well, in that case, the Volturi would probably leave them alone," Emmett said. "As long as there's no risk of the secret getting out, your family should be safe."

"As long as Rex didn't get it into his head to kill them outright. He said he was going to rip our hearts out," Tyson said. "There are several ways to do that."

"It sounds like he's the overdramatic type," Rosalie said. "From the way you described his reaction to Bon-Bon's death, it's possible that she was his mate. He won't stop coming after you until he kills you or you kill him. Besides, if he does think of killing your human family, he'll want you there to see it so it'll have the maximum impact."

"All the more reason for us to stay away," Tyson said. "If we're not there to see it, he might not even consider it. But will it be enough to protect them?"

"Who knows?" Emmett said. "For now, you just have to hope for the best."

Seth put his plate down and moved over next to Tyson. "Enough of that kind of talk," he said. He hugged Tyson from behind and kissed his cheek. "There's no need to think about it now."

Tyson closed his eyes and let Seth's peaceful thoughts calm him. He turned his head and nuzzled the young wolf's neck, inhaling his musky scent.

Emmett looked at Tyson, taking in his expression and seeming to come to a decision. "I've got an idea," he said. "Why don't we have that wrestling match now? It might help take your mind off your troubles." He smiled and folded his arms, waiting for Tyson's answer.

David beat him to the punch. "Sounds like fun," he said. He grabbed Tyson's wrist and pulled him toward the kitchen door. Embry and Seth inhaled the rest of their food, put their dishes in the sink, and followed them. Emmett grinned and dashed after them.

Rosalie smiled and shook her head before turning to Alice. "How do you see it turning out?" she asked.

Alice's eyes went unfocused for a second as she looked into the immediate future. When she came back to the present, she was grinning. "Our husbands are in for a surprise. Emmett won't be happy, but Jasper will have a new level of respect for them." She got out several containers and started packing up the leftovers. "I think our new brothers will fit in just fine."

"Indeed," Rosalie agreed. "Tyson just needs to loosen up a bit and David... He'll take some getting used to. But I can see myself liking them." She watched the five men heading off into the forest. "Hard to believe that they got here yesterday. They've become part of the family so quickly."

"Some things just work out that way," Alice said. She put the last of the food back in the refrigerator and leaned back against it. "Oh well... I've got a new fashion project in the works. I could use your input."

"Gladly," Rosalie said, and they headed to the den.

/ \

A few hours later, Tyson was squatting on a boulder overlooking the river, balancing on his toes as he watched the water rush past. He'd had a decent sparring match with Jasper, kicking the other vampire's ass back and forth across the field and leveling over a dozen trees in the process. David was right; it _had _been fun and he'd managed to blow off some steam. But it wasn't enough to lift the depression that clouded his heart whenever he talked or even thought about the Burning Time.

He'd begged off any further gladiatorial exercises and headed off a little way, far enough that he was hidden from view but still close enough that he could hear the others if they needed him for anything. From the sound of things, Emmett wasn't having any luck beating David in their latest match. They'd had four so far, each one lasting the better part of an hour and always ending with David planting Emmett's face in the dirt. Tyson could sense the big vampire's frustration and he smiled a little as he pictured David's expression: an evil little smirk that all but screamed _You can't catch me! _David was fast and good at evasion, two things that were very helpful in avoiding the bullies during their elementary and middle school careers.

Seth's loud laughter reached Tyson's ears and his smile widened at the sound. It was truly amazing how attached he'd become to the two wolves in so short a time. Barely a day after meeting them, he couldn't imagine going through life without them. Somehow he knew that it probably would've worked the same way if all four of them had been human. Fate or Destiny or whatever would have brought them together through the most unlikely of coincidences and ensured that they had long and healthy lives. They wouldn't have had a fairy-tale ending, but then life wasn't a fairy tale.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Tyson turned to find Embry standing next to the boulder, his soulful eyes locked on Tyson's face. It felt as if he was trying to stare into Tyson's soul; his gaze was that penetrating. It got a little unnerving after a few seconds, so Tyson turned his attention back to the rushing water.

"That's kind of expensive for my thoughts right now, _cheri_," he said. "I'm not thinking about much in particular."

Embry raised an eyebrow and one corner of his mouth lifted in a small half-smile. "Now why don't I believe you?" he asked.

"I don't know," Tyson said. He jumped off the boulder and leaned back on it, folding his arms and regarding the shapeshifter through half-closed eyes. "What am I, a mind-reader?" He grinned at his own bad joke.

Embry winced and moved to the boulder, leaning one shoulder against it and crossing his own arms. "That was a _really _bad one," he said.

"I know," Tyson replied. "I couldn't resist." He looked up at the sky and sighed. "Sorry about my bad mood. That was the first time I've told that story to anyone; it raised a lot of bad memories."

"Don't be sorry," Embry said. "We totally get it. We know what it's like to have our lives take a turn for the weird without any warning. Not just the packs, but the Cullens too. Out of all of us, Bella was the only one who had a choice in becoming what she is." He noted Tyson's surprised look. "Yeah, she had a choice. She also had two years to mentally prepare for it. The doc thinks that's probably why she's able to resist the scent of human blood; she just made up her mind that she wouldn't hunt humans." He leaned into Tyson's cold body and rested his cheek on the vampire's shoulder. "Jake's right about one thing: Bella's always been tougher than most people knew. How else could she have survived all the craziness she went through to get where she is?"

Tyson studied Embry's face for a moment and sighed. "There are definitely advantages to this life," he said. "The strength, speed, enhanced senses...and the extras package has a lot to recommend it. But I can't help thinking that Rex stole our lives. He took the choice away from us, forced this life on us. He caused us and our family boundless pain just to further his own ambition." He slumped on the boulder and closed his eyes, the scope of his and David's loss threatening to crush him.

There was so much more to the pain than even David knew. They had each other and that was good, but Tyson missed their family so much: their parents, their sisters, even their migraine-inducing little brothers. Rex had stabbed him in the heart twice that fateful night, once with the syringe of venom and again by forcing them to abandon those they loved most. It was a double blow that came within millimeters of crushing him every second of the day, and he didn't even have the illusory safety of sleep to escape to.

Embry moved in front of him and cupped Tyson's face in his hands. His warm brown eyes were filled with concern and looked as if they were about to spill a river's worth of tears.

"It was wrong of him to turn you. No one's disputing that," Embry said. "It would've been better if it had been your choice, but life doesn't always work like that. Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control and the only thing we can do is just...roll with it. Take me, for instance. My mother moved to La Push when she was still pregnant with me. Everyone assumed that she'd left my father on the Makah reservation, but then I became a wolf. It shocked the hell out of them. Only those who are directly descended from the first Quileute wolf are supposed to be capable of phasing."

He paused, took a deep breath, and went on. "My mom told me that she had no idea who my father was. I know now that she lied to me, but I can't tell her how I know because I have to keep it a secret from her. There are three men who could be my father, and each one was married at the time. Joshua Uley ran off years ago and Quil Ateara IV died in a boating accident, so I can't ask them. Billy Black is the only one left who might know for sure, but I don't know how to ask. I could be Sam's brother, or Quil's or Jake's. I want to know who my father is, but I can't look for answers without causing more pain for everyone involved." He wrapped his arms around Tyson's body and pressed his cheek to the vampire's chest.

Tyson hugged the smaller boy and rested his cheek on the top of Embry's head. "I get where you're coming from, _cheri_," he said. "Not knowing where you come from can hurt a lot. But think of this: From what you told us of the packs' organization, it sounds like they're all your brothers. So does it really matter who your father is?" He crooked a finger under Embry's chin and lifted the wolf's eyes to meet his. "You have a larger family than you thought, and now Dav and I are part of it too. We're not going anywhere."

"Here's something you probably didn't figure on," Embry said, his voice muffled by Tyson's cold flesh. "It's pretty warped, but we have Rex to thank for bringing us together. If he hadn't turned you and Dav, you might never have come here. Seth and I would have lived our lives feeling as if something was missing, but we wouldn't have known what. And you would've felt the same way."

Tyson couldn't deny the logic of that statement. "You're right," he said. He crooked a finger under Embry's chin and tilted the wolf's face so that they were looking each other in the eye. "You wanted to know what I was thinking about when you found me. It was pretty much what you just said, except that I felt sure that the fates would have found a way to bring us together even if we were human. You, Seth, Dav, and I...we were destined for each other and I can't think of any reality where it wouldn't have happened." He paused, trying to find the right words to express the rest of what he was feeling, but he couldn't. He closed his mouth and simply looked at Embry, opening the T-link and showing him the raw emotion behind the words he'd already spoken.

The next thing he knew, Embry was kissing him with bruising force. The wolf was whining as his tongue poked at Tyson's mouth, slipping past the vampire's lips and teeth. Tyson let him in and they both moaned as the extreme temperature differential sharpened the pleasure to the point of pain. Embry's arms were wrapped tight around Tyson's neck and he was standing on his toes to make up for the three-inch height difference. The movements of their lips were indicative of a desperation that they rarely expressed, even to themselves. Embry broke the kiss and slid down Tyson's body, keeping eye contact all the way.

Tyson gasped as he realized what Embry was about to do. "_Cheri_, you don't have to..." The rest of that sentence vanished as Embry yanked Tyson's shorts down and swallowed the vampire's cock down to the base. Tyson's objections were washed away as his mind dissolved in an ocean of pleasure. He threw his head back and closed his eyes tightly shut, baring his teeth in a silent snarl. Embry certainly knew what he was doing and it sounded like he was having a good time, if the muffled moans were any indication.

It didn't take long before Tyson was at the edge of the precipice. Embry gave his balls one good tug and that was all she wrote. Tyson gasped and grunted as he poured a load of icy cum down the wolf's throat. Embry purred and swallowed it all, not wasting a drop. He kept sucking til he got the very last of it and released Tyson from his mouth.

Tyson used his telekinesis to pull his shorts back up and to lift Embry to his feet. They kissed again, sharing the taste of Tyson's cum. When they broke to give Embry a chance to catch his breath, Tyson said, "You didn't have to do that, _loup beau_."

"I know," Embry said. "I wanted to. And you needed to blow off some steam. That was just the quickest way to do it." He smiled and leaned back into Tyson's arms.

"Sex isn't always the answer," Tyson whispered in Embry's ear.

"Tell me something I don't know," Embry whispered back. His eyes fluttered closed and in seconds he was sound asleep.

Tyson grinned and kissed the wolf's cheek. He wrapped his arms a little tighter around his mate and nuzzled the blazing-hot skin of the other boy's neck. The blood rushing just under the skin smelled good, but there was no temptation to drink it. Embry was not food; he was one of Tyson's husbands.

His mind stumbled over that for a second. _Husbands? Where did _that _come from? _he wondered. But after puzzling over it for a few milliseconds, he decided that it didn't matter. It felt right, therefore no further deliberation was needed. So he put it out of his mind and spent the rest of the evening watching the stars, with Embry asleep in his arms.

**Author's Note: **This chapter was the hardest one so far. It just didn't want to get out of my head; that's how difficult it was. As for the ending, it wasn't the best I've ever done, but not the worst either. Please read and review and let me know what you think. Thank you! :)


	13. Chapter 12:  Discussion

**Author's Note: **My boys won't have much of a presence in this chapter. The foursome is coming up soon, so no worries on that score. This one will focus mainly on the Cullens discussing the newest additions to their family. It's basically a huge dose of exposition. It might not be very exciting, but it may help explain a few things.

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 12: Discussion

_**Two months later**_

Carlisle watched from the second-floor landing as David gave Nessie another lesson in sign language. It was a charming scene. She was picking it up with her usual speed and David was always coming up with new ways of teaching it to her. He was also encouraging her to work on her verbal skills, stating that her usual method of communication could cause problems if anyone outside the family (humans, for instance) were made aware of it. Carlisle suspected that the second objective stemmed from David's own lack of a voice: He believed that if someone had a voice, they should use it at every opportunity. It was a belief that had only strengthened after his conversion.

As for Tyson, he was in the kitchen cooking dinner for the Black pack. Judging by the scents wafting from the kitchen, it was chicken jambalaya with extra-hot spices, along with a special kind of bread baked from one of his mother's recipes. He'd called it _du pain au feu – _French for "fire bread" – and said that it functioned as a kind of edible fire extinguisher. Carlisle felt some trepidation about a dish that required such a safety measure, but the wolves were durable. They'd be able to stomach it, in more ways than one.

Carlisle turned and entered his office. Esme, Edward, and Jasper were sitting in the chairs opposite his desk, waiting patiently. He sat down and folded his hands on the desk, regarding each of them before speaking.

"All right," he said. "You each know why I asked you here?" They nodded and he went on. "Very well. Edward, what is your impression of them?"

"They are remarkably resilient, given everything they endured," Edward said. "They showed me the events immediately preceding their conversion and afterward, and Tyson gave me everything he read in Rex's mind before they escaped. He had been watching them for some time and was waiting for the opportunity to turn them. He believed that they might help him gain a place with the Volturi."

Jasper nodded. "It makes sense," he said. "He's tried before and been refused. If he really can determine a person's potential as a vampire, it's a wonder that Aro didn't snatch him up then. Such a gift would be beyond price."

"Aro has a habit of manipulating people to suit his own purposes," Edward said. "More than likely, he refused Rex's petition to push him into doing exactly what he did: searching for those who would be able to add to the Volturi's power. He conscripted Rex without his knowledge."

"I wish I could say that I was surprised," Carlisle said. "But it fits with what we know of the Volturi's methods."

"What if they learn of David and Tyson's presence here?" Esme asked. "If they become aware of the boys' gifts, they would stop at nothing to try and recruit them." She clasped her hands in her lap, hard enough that Carlisle thought he could see cracks running along her skin. After seventy years, he knew her well enough to notice when her maternal instincts were operating at their highest level. _Only two months and she loves them as if she'd given birth to them herself, _he thought. But that was hardly surprising. She showed the same devotion to the rest of their children; it would have been strange if she _hadn't _bonded with David and Tyson.

"They would find out sooner or later," Jasper said. "We get nomads through here from time to time, and neither we nor the wolves would be able to get all of them. All it would take is for one to escape and then it would just be a matter of time."

"At least we would have some warning," Edward said. "Aro knows that Alice would see any attempt to move against us."

"Jasper, what is your assessment of David and Tyson's abilities?" Carlisle asked. If anyone could give a concise report on such topics, it was Jasper.

"Emmett and I spar with them at least once a week," Jasper began. "They're much stronger than average, even for newborns. It would be highly unusual, but I wouldn't be surprised if they maintained that level after their newborn phase is over." He paused for a moment, studying the grain of the wood on one bookshelf. When he began again, there was a note of admiration in his voice. "Tyson is very controlled in his actions. He thinks out every move and considers all the possibilities. He knows that his telepathy would give him an advantage, but he never uses it. He prefers a level playing field. Still, he's able to best me in four out of six matches despite his lack of experience with actual fighting."

"Hardly surprising," Edward said. "With his size and temper, it would be a bad idea to antagonize him. Even a vampire would have thought twice before trying to take him on."

"His temper isn't an issue," Jasper said. "He keeps it under tight control, only releasing it when he has no other choice. He considers himself lucky that no one was ever stupid enough to test that limit." He looked out the window, watching the trees sway in the wind as he spoke.

"David is more impulsive, a more instinctual creature with cunning to match. He rarely, if ever, employs what we would consider traditional strategic thought. If he sees an opportunity to strike, he will take it, usually in the most unlikely way possible. The first night he sparred with Emmett, he won all seven of their matches by not staying still at all. He kept hopping around like a kangaroo; his feet never stayed on the ground for more than two seconds at a time. Emmett would charge and David would plant him face-first in the dirt." Jasper couldn't keep from smiling as he said his next words. "Needless to say, Emmett was not happy."

They all shared a chuckle at that; they all knew how competitive Emmett was. Losing to someone that he should have been able to take down with ridiculous ease was bound to wound his pride.

"Em didn't take it very well, but he didn't let it get him down," Edward said. "He'll keep trying til he finally wins. He's very stubborn that way."

"True," Jasper said. "At any rate, David and Tyson are strong fighters. Along with their other talents, they'd be a great asset in any coven."

"And what of their other talents?" Carlisle asked. "They seem to have more than is normal for any gifted individual, human or vampire."

"Yes," Jasper said. "To the best of my knowledge, there's never been a vampire with more than one gift that could be considered supernatural. Tyson possesses telekinesis and telepathy, and he also has a shield similar to Bella's. The only difference with that one is that he can raise and lower it as he sees fit. He can also form something he and David call a T-link with two or more individuals, forming a group mind similar to that of the wolf packs. It conveys the same advantages; it allows for exceptional teamwork and can work across any distance."

"And David's talents are exceedingly unusual," Edward said. "He's telekinetic like Tyson, but his technopathic gift is unique. There's never been another vampire with that power. It's only in the last fifty years that human technology has advanced to the point where such a gift is even usable. The way he can interface with and control anything with a microprocessor...It's frightening to think of how the Volturi would use such a talent."

"Then it would be in their own best interests and ours to keep them out of the Volturi's crosshairs," Jasper said. "I, for one, don't want to find out if Chelsea can affect their emotional bonds. They're devoted to each other and to Embry and Seth, but their connections to the rest of us are still new enough that they might be broken if enough pressure were applied. That is something to be avoided at all costs."

Edward took over at that point. "David and Tyson are extraordinary. They finished the transformation in a single day and were able to resist the scent of human blood when they were minutes old. They could access and utilize their supernatural abilities with a level of control that should have taken them years or even decades to perfect. If Rex had known just how powerful they would become, I doubt he would have turned them." He stood and started pacing, an unusual thing for him. After a moment, he stopped and turned to face Carlisle. "We need to be on the lookout for him. His desire for vengeance could lead him here and we have to be ready."

"Agreed," Carlisle said. "We'll give the wolves the details and start coordinating an appropriate defense. On a lighter note..." He focused on his beloved wife and asked, "How is your project coming along?"

"It's progressing quite nicely," Esme said. "There was a small problem procuring some of the more vital components, but it was easily resolved. There was no appreciable delay. It should be finished in time." She smiled and said, "Alice, Bella, Emmett, and Rosalie are on a shopping expedition to find the right furniture. They should be home in a few hours, assuming Alice doesn't go overboard yet again." This got another chuckle from everyone. Alice loved to shop; thankfully the Cullens had more than enough money to handle her proclivity.

"I'm sure they will," Carlisle said, "just as I'm sure that David and Tyson will enjoy their gift. They will probably think that we spent too much on them. But they are part of our family now and we take care of our own. That is something with which they have considerable experience, given their upbringing." He stood and headed for the door, signaling the end of the meeting. "Thank you for your insights. It is just as I had hoped; our new family members are fitting in quite well. I have to head in to the hospital now, but I should be back by midnight." Turning to Edward, he said, "You should see David with Nessie."

"I know," Edward said, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "He adores her and she seems quite taken with him. If he weren't already mated and Nessie wasn't aware of being Jacob's imprint, I'd say that Jacob would have some competition later on. And he's done well encouraging her to use her verbal skills. She's speaking more often than she used to. He's a good influence in that area."

"Yes, he is. Now I must be going," Carlisle said. "Have a good day and try to keep out of trouble."

"I'll make sure of that," Esme said with a small smile.

"All right. On that note, I will take my leave now. Until tonight." Carlisle dashed from the office and dressed for work. _Would that I could see the wolves' reaction to Tyson's cooking, _he thought as he got into his car. _Oh well...I'm sure that Nessie will give me the full picture later. _He smiled at that and drove off, looking forward to his work.

**Author's Note: **There we go, the expository chapter. I probably went into a little more detail than was necessary, but sometimes I just can't help myself. In any event, I hope you like it. Please read and review. :)


	14. Chapter 13:  Paradise

**Author's Note: **Here we are, finally: the foursome scene. It's taken a while to get here and I thank my readers for their patience. This could be one of the longest chapters so far, the embodiment of "so much to do and so little time". PLEASE, God, help me not to screw this up!

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M/M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 13: Paradise

Tyson and Embry watched David and Seth splashing around in the lagoon and laughing like little kids. It was a small miracle that Tyson could hear the young wolf at all over the waterfall; it was especially active tonight, swollen with water from yesterday's rainfall and churning like it was being whipped by a hurricane. It was a testament to nature's power and how humanity would never truly dominate it.

_A strange idea to be having on our birthday, _Tyson thought. While poetic, it was a little more primal than he was used to. He shook his head. _Time enough to puzzle it out later, _he reasoned. _Tonight is just for the four of us. _He looked down to watch Embry dozing, the wolf's head resting on the vampire's thigh. He ran one finger along the tan jawline, letting his eyes run down the length of the wolf's naked body. A shiver of desire rolled through him, vibrating his own nude form. He licked his lips and turned his gaze to the pair in the water.

That didn't help stem the rising tide of his arousal, so he looked over to the spot where the lagoon opened into the ocean. He kept stroking Embry's jaw and watched the moonlight play on the water. He felt so calm here, surrounded by such beauty and being able to share it with his husbands.

_There's that word again, _he thought. He couldn't quite pin down when he'd started thinking of them that way, but it sure felt right.

"What you thinking about?"

Tyson looked down and found Embry watching him, his warm brown eyes reflecting the moonlight. There was such love in them; Tyson felt he could get lost in those deep pools. It was the same with Seth and David: love and warmth in endless quantities. He had to be the luckiest man in the world, having three men who loved him so much.

He blinked and realized that Embry was waiting for an answer. "Just thinking how beautiful it is here. Contemplating nature's perseverance in the face of human stupidity." He paused for a moment; his next words would have provoked a blush if he'd still been capable of it. "Wondering how I got so lucky, having you and David and Seth in my life."

Embry sat up and smiled at him. "We've each been thinking that last part for the past three months," he said. He laid one hand on Tyson's cheek. "It's natural to question miracles, as long as you don't go too far with it. When you find yourself overanalyzing it, that's when you know that you just have to roll with it and enjoy it while it lasts."

"Yeah," Tyson said, turning his gaze back to David and Seth's playtime. "And I guess I shouldn't question the miracle that allowed David and me to be on the tribe's land either."

"Probably a good idea," Embry said. He grinned and wrapped an arm around Tyson's shoulders. "You've got Jake to thank for that. He talked to the elders and convinced them to let you visit us whenever you want. You just have to steer clear of the reservation's most populated areas. To cut down on the temptation."

"We've never been tempted by human blood before," Tyson said.

"I know," Embry replied. "But the elders want to minimize the risk as much as possible. You get why, don't you?"

Tyson nodded. He did get why; he and David were still vampires regardless of their dietary choices. Even though it felt a little insulting, the elders were just doing what they thought was necessary to protect the tribe. Still, he couldn't help frowning just a bit.

Embry kissed Tyson's cheek and smiled. "Just give it some time. Once they see that you won't harm anyone, they'll come around." He turned Tyson's head so that the vampire was facing him and kissed him. Tyson whimpered as Embry's tongue slid into his mouth, claiming him as only a mate could. He moaned and pressed his body against the wolf's hot skin, trying to absorb the inferno into his own stone-cold flesh.

Mon Dieu..._such _HEAT..., he thought. He'd never thought it was possible for someone to be so hot without bursting into flames. He pinned Embry to the ground with his body, his cock hard and rubbing on the wolf's thigh. Embry's own arousal was pressed to Tyson's stomach and leaking a steady trickle of fluid. They shivered as their rods touched and slid together, the electrifying sensations rolling through them like thunder.

The pressure of another warm hand on his back brought Tyson's attention back to the world. He broke the kiss and turned to see David and Seth squatting next to them, grinning as if they'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. He opened up a T-link between their four minds and got a dose of amusement and heavy desire from both of them.

_Getting started without us, _mon amour_? _David asked. He leaned down and took over where Tyson had left off, pulling a moan from Embry's throat as their lips met. The pleasure reverberated through the T-link and made all four of them shudder from the intensity of it.

Tyson grabbed a handful of Seth's hair and pulled him close, kissing the young wolf and swallowing the sounds of surprise, pain, and pleasure. He realized that he'd grabbed the smaller boy a little too roughly and relaxed his grip.

Seth whimpered and grabbed a fistful of Tyson's hair, tugging hard. _Don't stop, _he thought. _That felt GOOD_. He gave the long golden strands a couple more healthy pulls to punctuate his statement.

Tyson groaned in pain/pleasure; he loved having his hair pulled. Seth was indeed a fast learner.

Embry bucked his hips, his cock sliding on Tyson's and making them both gasp in pleasure. Tyson broke the kiss with Seth to focus on the other wolf for a moment, taking in the flushed skin and glassy eyes. His lips were swollen from kissing David and he was dangerously close to hyperventilating. Tyson decided to make his breathing even more erratic.

He moved down Embry's body, kissing and licking the overheated skin; he even made a few small and very careful nips with his teeth. Embry's gasps were music to his ears as he came to the tip of the wolf's cock and swiped his tongue across the dripping slit. Embry lifted his hips off the ground, trying to push his shaft into Tyson's mouth. The vampire chuckled and said through the T-link_, I'll tell you what I tell Dav_, loup beau_: Patience. We'll get to that soon enough. Just lie back and enjoy._

Embry nodded and let his head roll to one side, baring his neck. Seth leaned down and kissed the exposed area, sucking on it and scraping it with his teeth. When he came up for air, he'd left a fair-sized hickey on the older wolf's skin. All four of their noses were tickled by the scent of freshly-drawn blood.

It took all of two seconds for the scrapes to heal and David swiped his tongue over the spot, licking away the blood. He shuddered as the smoky metallic taste of the crimson fluid flowed over his tongue. His soundless moan echoed through the T-link, echoed by the real thing issuing from the other boys' mouths. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, resisting the urge to bite into Embry's flesh for more of the red nectar. He needed a distraction and he found one.

David reached down with one hand and gripped Seth's dick, giving it a gentle squeeze. Seth groaned and pushed his hips forward, trying to fuck David's hand, but the smaller vampire held him in a loose grip and he didn't get the friction he was hoping for. He whined and started bouncing on his knees, working his cock in a stirring motion. It felt nice, but it wasn't enough; he needed more. He pleaded silently for David to tighten his grip, but the vampire only gave him a small smile and an evil little wink.

A moment later, David lay his free hand on Embry's chest, running his icy palm back and forth across the stiff nipples and making them protrude even further. Embry hissed at the contact and arched his back, moaning and shivering. David smiled and moved his hand further along Embry's belly, tracing the lines of the wolf's abs with his fingernails. As he did so, he conjured an image in his mind of what he hoped to see before the night was over.

Tyson looked up at David, shock plainly displayed on his face as he saw what David was hoping to start. The image was almost too much to process: Tyson on all fours with Seth's swollen organ buried in his ass, the wolf pounding away with all the strength in his slender body. He pressed his cheek to Embry's thigh and closed his eyes. The musky scent of Embry's crotch filled his nose and he nearly lost his focus. He pushed his nose into the taut skin of Embry's sac and started licking the wolf's balls, eliciting a loud groan from him. The sound was music to his ears. He opened his eyes and resumed his slow torture of his second consort.

He licked along the length of Embry's cock, tracing the veins under the dark tan skin with the tip of his tongue. Embry's stomach worked like a blacksmith's bellows as he gasped for air. His moans, groans, and whispered curse words were echoed in the T-link. David, Seth, and Tyson all shuddered as they felt their lover's emotions and the pleasure was magnified further when Tyson swallowed Embry down to the base, taking him in a single stroke without gagging. Embry moaned loud enough that he could probably be heard on the reservation. This surprised them all since Embry wasn't known for being so vocal. It was a pleasant shock.

Tyson got a shock of his own a moment later; he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something hot, wet, and flexible tickling the outer edges of his hole. He closed his eyes and asked David to look back and show him what was happening. David obliged and gave him exactly what he asked for. The view from that angle was a sight to behold: Seth had spread Tyson's asscheeks apart and was tonguing the twitching orifice. The young wolf was using featherlight strokes of his tongue to wet it, licking all over and around it, and it felt fucking fantastic. Tyson knew what was coming next and his body was humming with impatience. He remembered his own words and held still.

He groaned as Seth worked his tongue into him, the agile muscle pushing deeper and deeper til it was buried as far as it would go. Tyson clamped his hole tight around Seth's tongue, being careful not to amputate it by accident. He shivered and groaned around Embry's cock, vibrating the oversensitive organ. The skin was stretched tight around the shaft and Tyson was afraid that if Embry didn't cum soon, his cock would simply explode.

"Oh shit...that just...feels so fucking GOOD..." Embry was tossing his head back and forth, the sensations radiating from his crotch making him more vocal than he'd ever been. He was so close to cumming already and they'd just gotten started. He wasn't ready to blow so soon. He wanted to touch his mates, to hug and kiss and suck and fondle...

Seth moaned as Embry's emotions flowed through them all, the T-link amplifying the pleasure and making it almost unbearable. _Go ahead, Em, _he thought. _We've got all night. _He groaned again and pushed his tongue faster inside Tyson, making the big vampire grunt in surprise.

David kissed Embry just as the wolf let go, groaning loudly, pouring his hot load down Tyson's throat. The smaller vampire swallowed Embry's cries of ecstasy and came very close to cumming himself.

"Rrrrrrrrrrr..." Tyson growled and took the whole load, swallowing in large gulps. Embry's cream was just as good as he'd imagined, hot and syrupy with a mix of salty and bitter flavors. He could swear he even detected a spicy aftertaste that reminded him of the cayenne peppers he used to put on his pizza.

_Dav, you really need to taste him, _he thought. He released Embry, letting the swollen rod drop from his mouth. A thin string of cum and spit stretched from his lower lip to the purple knob. He stayed very still, careful not to let it break. Just for fun, he clenched his hole around Seth's tongue again, drawing a low moan from both of them.

David sat up and leaned forward, running his tongue along Tyson's lips and slurping up the string like a piece of spaghetti. _Mmmmmmmm... _He looked at Embry and smiled. _You taste good, _mon chere, he thought. He kissed the tip of Embry's cock, licking up the trickle of fluid that was oozing from it. Embry moaned and bucked his hips. David felt four inches of the rigid shaft slide between his lips and he tightened them around the welcome intruder. _Yeah...feed it to me, _he thought. _Wanna taste the whole thing, _cher.

Embry obliged and shoved it down David's throat. Tyson watched intently as the smaller vampire sucked their consort ever so gently, teasing him with feathery strokes of his lips and tongue. Embry snarled and grabbed a fistful of David's hair, driving into the cold mouth a little harder than was strictly necessary. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to be teased.

Tyson whimpered as he felt a burning hand grip his rigid cock and he looked down between his legs. Seth had started jacking him off in addition to tonguefucking his ass. The view was almost enough to make him cum right then. Not just the sensation either; the dark tan skin of Seth's hand on Tyson's pale-brown marble shaft made for a surprisingly sexy contrast.

He started moving his hips, riding Seth's tongue and fucking his hand at the same time. His precum greased the wolf's hand, enhancing the sensation as Seth kept stroking him. He was beyond words at the moment, drowning in pleasure. Seth was touching and tasting him in ways that he'd never felt before. It felt fucking AWESOME. He'd thought about asking David to rim him several times, but he could never work up the nerve; he'd been afraid that his lover would think there was something wrong with him. Now he knew that he needn't have worried; David had picked up on the unspoken desire and made it real in the best way possible.

He almost whined in frustration as Seth started to pull his tongue free. Forgetting his own advice, he pushed back and clamped down, trying to keep that wonderfully talented muscle inside him. Seth chuckled and slapped Tyson's rock-hard ass. The sound vibrated the hypersensitive tissues and Tyson stopped breathing so he could regain control of himself.

Seth's thoughts were tinged with amusement as they touched Tyson's mind:_ There's plenty more where that came from. Like you told Em earlier, be patient. _A silent chuckle rolled through the T-link and joined with David and Embry's own soundless laughter.

The irony of those words wasn't lost on Tyson and he stayed still, watching as David and Embry moved into a sixty-nine position. He watched for a few seconds before spreading Embry's legs and taking the wolf's balls in his mouth, sucking on them and bathing them in sticky fluid. They both moaned as the egg-shaped glands started to swell from the pressure building up inside them. Between Tyson and David's mouths, Embry was working toward one hell of a geyser. It was a good thing that the wolf's moans were muffled by David's dick; otherwise the entire county would be getting an earful.

Seth pulled his tongue from Tyson's ass and the vampire whined at the sudden emptiness. It didn't last long; Seth immediately replaced it with his leaking knob, pushing into Tyson's hole with minimal resistance. Tyson hissed through his teeth as the pain melted into the hottest bliss he'd ever felt. His whole body shuddered as Seth pushed deeper into him. He felt as if he were being impaled on a blistering-hot steel rod.

Seth was feeling the intensity too; he was shocked that steam wasn't rising from the spot where his dick penetrated Tyson's body. He leaned down, wrapped his arms around the vampire's waist, and just kept pushing deeper, groaning from the sensation of Tyson's inner muscles squeezing and rippling along his length. It was too much; he just barely managed to fully penetrate Tyson when he came far sooner than he would have liked.

Tyson gasped as Seth's hot juices filled him up. The rock-hard shaft in his chute pulsed several times, sending the boy's cum deep inside him. The shock of the scalding liquid hitting his inner surfaces triggered his own orgasm and he came hard, coating Seth's hand with his own fluids and making a small puddle on the sand that was almost instantly absorbed. He pressed his forehead to the damp soil, gasping for breath with Seth holding him tightly. And to his surprise, the younger wolf was still hard. He gave the oversensitive rod a small squeeze and all four young men groaned as the resulting aftershock rolled through their bodies.

Tyson and Seth collapsed at the same time, landing on one side facing Embry and David. Seth pulled Tyson tight against his chest. The vampire could feel the wolf's heartbeat through his back; if it pounded any harder, it would explode.

Seth got his breathing under control and nuzzled Tyson's neck. "Wow," he whispered. "That was HOT. And we didn't even get started."

"Yeah," Tyson agreed. He tilted his head to look at David and Embry; they were looking back, having paused in their mutual sucking to watch the other two boys. Their eyes were practically glowing with lust; the T-link was full to bursting with the overwhelming emotion, to the point where no others could get through. Tyson sent his husbands an image of what he wanted to do; they responded with a collective moan and their passion rose to a fever pitch.

Embry turned around so that he and Tyson were in a sixty-nine position; he wasted no time taking Tyson's ten-inch rod in his mouth and licking the residual cum off of it. Tyson reciprocated, swallowing Embry's shaft whole.

"Mmmmmmmmm..." The feel of the hot flesh sliding between his lips was almost enough to make him cum again, as if being engulfed in Embry's warm mouth wasn't enough in itself. They started moving on each other, licking and sucking as if their lives depended on it.

Embry whimpered as David entered him from behind. The smaller vampire slid his cock into the wolf's virgin ass with little resistance and hissed through his teeth as the heat surrounded his icy rod. It was a wonder he didn't burst into flames from being so close to Embry.

The four boys set up an easy rhythm, thrusting slowly, taking their time with each other. The pleasure built up and as badly as they wanted to cum, they maintained the slow pace; this was their first time as a foursome and they wanted to make it memorable.

Embry and Tyson sucked each other as if they had all the time in the world, exploring each other's bodies, running their hands everywhere they could reach. David and Seth were equally thorough, not just fucking the bigger boys, but making love to them. The intensity of the emotions running through the T-link was at an all-time high, burning as bright as the sun.

"Ah...ah ah ah AAAAA..." Seth was the first to lose the rhythm; his balls pulled up tight and he pushed into Tyson one more time before releasing another load of scalding juice inside him. He buried his face in Tyson's neck and bit into the rock-hard muscle, actually managing to leave teethmarks in the skin.

Tyson whimpered around Embry's cock, the heat of Seth's cum and the pain from the bite pushing him over the edge. He poured his icy load down Embry's throat, his rod flexing and nearly choking the wolf as it swelled up even larger. His whole body was shaking from the force of his climax.

Embry was feeling so good; sucking, getting sucked and fucked at the same time... It was more than he thought he'd ever get. And the taste of Tyson's cum, all cold and sweet...it was like a glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. He gulped it down, sucking harder than ever, wanting to keep going til the vampire's balls were shriveled into raisins. He couldn't hold back anymore; his scream of ecstasy was muffled by the marble column in his mouth as he poured his own fluids down Tyson's throat. He rammed his cock all the way in and was thankful that vampires didn't need to breathe.

David's moans and cuss words reverberated through the T-link as Embry's inner muscles worked his cock. The wolf's orgasm tightened the grip on him and he started to hyperventilate as he came, filling Embry to overflowing with his sticky juices. He could feel it leaking from the well-fucked orifice, trickling down their skin to soak into the sand beneath them.

The four of them held on tightly to each other, their shared orgasms merging into one massive tsunami of pleasure that crashed over them and left them gasping for breath. Embry and Seth were coated with sweat, their skin glistening like polished bronze in the moonlight; the hot fluid rubbed off on David and Tyson, bathing them in their wolves' scents and making them gleam like fresh-cut marble.

They loosened their grip on each other, the urgency of their need subsiding somewhat. Tyson lifted his head to look at Embry's waist, seeing a pair of bruises in the exact shape of his and David's hands. He wouldn't be surprised if Embry and Seth had left their own marks on the vampires' bodies, even if they'd long since healed. He reached up and touched the spot where Seth had bitten him. Sure enough, the mark was long gone.

David and Seth pulled their cocks free of Embry and Tyson's bodies and all four young men collapsed in a heap of tangled limbs. They repositioned themselves so that they were facing each other and settled into a post-coital cuddle. It was several minutes before any of them could string together a coherent sentence.

"DAMN," Embry said, his voice a hoarse whisper. He licked his lips and swallowed hard, trying to rehydrate his throat. "That was fucking INCREDIBLE."

"Mhmmm," Tyson said. He kissed each of his husbands, long and lingering kisses without any urgency or seductive intent behind them. "If it gets like that every time, we're going to kill each other."

Seth laughed weakly and squeezed Tyson's hip. "At least we'll die happy," he said. "I can't think of a better way to go out, can you?" He looked at David to get his reaction to the experience.

David shook his head and smiled. He opened a T-link and thought, _We're gonna have to pace ourselves. We don't want to blow out too soon, do we? After all, we _do _have all the time in the world to enjoy it. _He sat up and lifted his gaze to the sky, staring at the stars for a few seconds. _I don't know about the rest of you, _he "said", _but I could go for a swim right about now. _He grinned again and was off like a shot, already waist-deep in the water before the others could answer.

"Hey, wait for us!" Seth yelled. He and Embry were up in a heartbeat, dashing into the water and leaving Tyson lying on the sand.

Tyson rolled onto his back, propping himself up on his forearms and watching his husbands splashing and dunking each other. He smiled to himself and looked around. The lagoon wasn't exactly paradise, but it was the closest thing to it. So he decided to stop analyzing the miracle and just enjoy it.

"Cannonball!" he shouted. He launched himself into the water and splashed all three of them with a mini-tsunami. They responded by dog-piling him, barely managing to dunk him before he got away. Their laughter rose to the heavens, where the fates were surely taking great pleasure in their handiwork.

And roughly three hundred feet back into the trees, two pairs of crimson eyes blazed with fury as their owners made their plans to destroy the four young lovers.

**Author's Note: **Whooooo! Finally, the foursome scene is over! I hope I did a good enough job and that I didn't screw it up too badly. My apologies if I kept you waiting too long for it. This sucker really kicked my ass. It is NOT easy coordinating four characters in such a scene and this chapter almost imploded under the weight of my doubts. But I kept plugging away and here it is. As always, enjoy and please read and review. And thanks again for your patience! :D

**Author's Note Part Deux: **Yes, I know, the "Part Deux" is cheesy, but I'm feeling whimsical right now. Anyway, this is to let you all know that I'll be alternating between this and my other story, Stalled, for the foreseeable future. And my imagination (hyper little beast that it is) is already cooking up TWO sequels to Elements, so keep your eyes peeled. Have a nice day! :)


	15. Chapter 14: Confrontation

**Author's Note: **This is going to be a long one, with some action and pretty unusual stuff going down. No idea if it's going to be believable, but I think you might like it.

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M/M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 14: Confrontation

Tyson opened his eyes as the first rays of the sunrise filtered through the trees. He blinked several times and rubbed imaginary sleep sand from his eyes, sitting up slowly so as not to disturb his husbands. He needn't have worried; Embry and Seth slept like the dead, while David lay between them, looking as if he were asleep. This was an affectation on the smaller vampire's part, since vampires didn't need to sleep. A small smile crossed Tyson's face as he remembered how and when they'd come up with that idea.

Roughly six weeks after they'd been turned, David and Tyson had devised a coping mechanism to help them deal with the drastic alteration to their lives. They'd decided to call it pseudo-sleep. It basically consisted of lying down, closing their eyes, slowing their breathing, and shifting position at random intervals. To anyone who might come across them in such a state, it would seem as if they were indeed asleep. Other vampires wouldn't be fooled if they were observant enough, but humans wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

It came in handy whenever there was a stressful situation that was too much for them to handle at the time, which was fairly often. Oddly enough, while they didn't actually sleep during these times, it had the same effect as human sleep; after a few hours, they'd open their eyes feeling refreshed and re-energized. They didn't know how or why it worked that way; it just did. They'd explained as much to Carlisle during one of their talks.

Tyson closed his eyes and tilted his face up to the sky, feeling the cool mist flowing over his body. It tickled him in a few places and he smiled to himself as he started to get hard. The sunlight filtered through the trees and struck his skin, making him shimmer like a diamond. It was still a little weird to see that, but he'd gotten used to it. He couldn't help but think that the mind could adapt to almost any situation, no matter how bizarre, if given enough time to do so.

Unfortunately, he was interrupted before he could follow that line of thought any further. "Well, well, what have we here?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Tyson's eyes flew open and he jerked his head toward the speaker. What he saw caused him to bare his teeth in a snarl.

A pair of red-eyes, one male and one female, stood maybe twenty feet away, studying the four young men on the sand as if they were a disgusting yet fascinating species of insect. The boy looked barely seventeen and had dark brown hair and skin the same pale brown as Tyson's own. The girl was the same age, with the same hair and skin tone. If pushed to make a guess, Tyson would've said that they were twins. Their eyes were glowing in the early-morning light, making them seem as if they carried the fires of Hell in the wide sockets. Their skin glittered faintly in the dim sunlight.

Tyson assumed a defensive posture in front of his husbands, crouching low and ready to spring. He reached out with his mind and alerted David, Embry, and Seth to the intrusion: _Wake up, boys. We have uninvited guests._

His mates were on their feet and in defensive positions before he'd finished the thought. Tyson couldn't suppress a small smile of pride in their response time. _Not bad, considering our _loups beau _were dead __to the world not sixty seconds ago, _he thought to himself.

Embry and Seth moved to flank David and Tyson, never taking their eyes from the red-eyes. The girl smirked at them as she appraised their state of undress. When she spoke, it was with a high-pitched voice that belonged to a much younger girl. "You'd think they'd have the decency to put on some clothes when guests come calling," she said. She waved a dismissive hand in Seth's direction, disgust evident on her features as she took in his nude form. "That is _not _something I want to see so early in the morning." Seth growled and tensed to spring, but David stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Now, now, sister," the boy said. "In all fairness, they didn't know we were coming. They didn't have any reason to prepare for company." He turned a cruel smile toward the four lovers. "Although I have to say that I agree with your assessment. Activities such as that go against certain moral codes."

"You don't have ANY room to lecture us about morality," Embry said, his tone resonating with anger and disgust. A snarl twisted his lips as he spoke his next words. "How many innocent people have you killed since you were turned?"

"That's different," the boy said. "That's just being a good predator. What we witnessed last night was no less than a perversion of nature. It's bad enough that you've got those weak yellow eyes, but that _any_ vampire would stoop to fucking their prey...it's just _wrong._"

"Shows how much _you_ know," Seth said. "Fucking is what you do with your sister. _We_ were making love." The girl snarled at him, baring her teeth in a demonic rictus.

David reached out and rested his hand on Seth's shoulder. "Calm down, _mon chere_," he said. "We have no need to explain ourselves to these two. However, they do not enjoy that same privilege." He turned a golden-eyed glare at the pair before them. "Who are you and why are you here?"

The boy smiled, showing his razor-sharp teeth. "Pardon me," he said in a mocking tone. "Where are our manners? My name is Danny and this is my sister Mariah. We've spent the last year waiting for your newborn phase to end so we could take you down more easily."

"Daddy told us what you did to Mommy," Mariah said. "It was very naughty of you to kill her like that." She took a couple of steps closer to them and leaned forward. "It wasn't easy having to wait, but it was well worth it. And now we'll finally get revenge for Mommy's death."

David's rig crackled with staticky laughter as a huge grin spread across his face. "Please. If Rex had the stones for it, he'd be here himself. He's not strong enough to kill us and I highly doubt that you are," he said. His lips sealed shut and an evil smile curved them up at the corners. "He sent you to gather information, didn't he? Our location, our state of mind, whatever gifts we might've uncovered since we escaped from him, and no doubt whatever friends we might've made. Did I miss anything?"

Tyson had been scanning their minds throughout David's little monologue. The expressions on their faces confirmed every one of the mute vampire's suppositions. He decided to speak up.

"Here's what I think," Tyson said. "You don't have his permission to kill us. That's a pleasure he's reserving for himself. We hurt him in an unimaginable way and he wants to repay us in kind. So if you _do_ kill us, he'll take out his anger on you two instead." Tyson tilted his head to the sky, letting loose a baritone laugh that rolled through the forest; the sound made the red-eyes flinch. Tyson gave them his own grin and went on. "A couple of ways this could go: Worst-case scenario, we kill you. When you don't come back, he'll know that we're much stronger than he anticipated and he might leave us alone. On the other hand, you just might get lucky enough to escape and talk your fool heads off, giving him all the intel you've gathered. Downside to that: once you've told him everything he wants to know, he'll probably kill you and have done with it so he won't have to put up with you anymore. Whichever way it goes, you won't live past today. We can promise you that."

"What are we waiting for?" Embry asked. "Let's just take them out and be done with it." He crouched forward, resting some of his weight on his fingertips. His and Seth's bodies were trembling a little, getting ready to phase if the situation got violent. A soft growl issued from both their throats.

Danny grinned, his teeth glinting as the sunlight struck his venom-coated teeth. "Oh, isn't that cute," he said. "The little humans think they can fight us." He stared at Seth for a few seconds, holding absolutely still. Then he darted his head forward a few inches, snapping his teeth together with an audible click. He laughed as Seth flinched.

Tyson could feel the wolves' frustration and impatience, but this wasn't the time to launch an attack. He held himself in check, but Danny's unconscious imitation of Bon-Bon's first words to him and David didn't make it easy. He reached out to his husbands' minds and thought, _I know it's hard, _mes amours, _but we have to try and talk them out of this first. If they don't listen, _then _we can tear them limb from limb. Until then, we have to control ourselves._

The three of them gave him their agreement and relaxed slightly. They were ready to fight if necessary, but not until Tyson gave the go-ahead. His heart swelled with his love for them and the trust they had in him.

He turned his attention back to the twins and smiled at them. "It's not really a good idea to piss them off," he said. "They're a _lot_ more durable than they look."

"Please!" Mariah tossed her head back and laughed, a harsh and unpleasant sound. "That one beside you is too skinny and the other is too short. They couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag, much less take down one of us." She punctuated this statement by darting forward and giving Seth a "tap" on the chin; propelled by her vampire strength, the move sent the young wolf flying back twenty feet, nearly dislocated his jaw, and left him with a split lip. The bone realigned itself and the cut in his lip healed before the blood had a chance to escape.

Seth managed to get up on his fingertips and toes, shaking his head to try and unscramble his brains. _Okay, _he thought. _Now that bitch is gonna get it. _He looked up at Mariah, rage in his expression as his body started to shake. The transformation was imminent.

For their part, Danny and Mariah were staring open-mouthed at the young wolf_, _unable to process how a human could have survived such a punch. Danny's mouth moved, but he couldn't make any sounds. His confidence appeared to have been severely shaken. Mariah, however, had no difficulty with speaking or maintaining her fury and indignation.

"How the HELL are you not dead?" she shrieked. "That punch should have taken your _FUCKING HEAD OFF!"_ She crouched down, seething with anger; she looked ready to pounce on Seth and tear him to pieces.

Tyson's body tensed as it automatically went into defense mode, but he stayed where he was. Seth was strong enough to take her down; Edward had told David and Tyson how the young wolf had taken down a vampire all on his own, without any help from his packmates. Tyson's love and respect for his youngest husband had soared to new heights, knowing that the wolf was capable of holding his own in a fight. These two wouldn't have had a chance against David and Tyson; when one factored in Embry and Seth, the odds that the twins would survive this encounter dropped to nearly zero.

"I just told you, my dear," Tyson said. "Our _loups beaux _are more durable than you know." He looked at Embry and Seth, a knowing smile stretching his lips wide. "Show them why, _mes amours_."

Embry and Seth turned toward Danny and Mariah, their bodies trembling violently now. They felt the heat of the phasing and let it happen, releasing their inner beasts. In less than a second, a sandy-furred wolf and a spotted grey one stood where two human boys had been. They stepped slowly toward Mariah, growling softly as they herded her backward into a shallow depression in the cliff face.

Danny was gasping like a fish out of water, his mind clearly not catching up to what his eyes were telling him. He turned to run, but his way was blocked by David.

"Ah ah ah," the black-haired vampire said. "You're not leaving the party so soon. You wanted this confrontation, and by God, you're going to see it through." He looked to Tyson, who reached out and gripped the red-eye with his telekinesis and held him tightly. Danny started to hyperventilate, his fear overriding his logic and pushing his long-dormant human instincts to the forefront. David stepped up close to him, looking the terrified vampire right in his crimson eyes.

"We were expecting something like this," David said. "We knew that Rex would try to find us, either on his own or by using pawns such as yourselves. We just didn't think that it would happen this fast, or that he'd send a pair of morons who were so inadequate to the task."

Mariah hissed at him. "Fuck you!" she said. Her body shook uncontrollably with her rage. "We're sixty-seven years old, you little pissant! We're so much stronger than you'll ever be, and we're NOT pawns!" A low growl from Seth wasn't enough to make her shut up. "Daddy loves us! He'd NEVER throw us away!"

Embry snapped his jaws, his sharp teeth coming within inches of her hate-filled face. That was enough to finally silence her.

"_Mon Dieu_, Rex and Bon-Bon really _did _raise you," Tyson said. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her and said,_"_Answer me this, Mariah: if you're so damn powerful, why are you so scared?"

She opened her mouth to deny the accusation of fear, but the purring growls of the two wolves forced her to think better of it. She stood there, fists clenched and body vibrating with barely-contained fury.

David was walking around Danny in a slow circle. Tyson had made sure that the red-eye couldn't escape. The trapped vampire's fear had been building for the last few minutes and had finally reached its crescendo. Now was the time for David to demonstrate his latest toys.

"Now to show you why you should never have come here," he said. He clapped his hands twice, the sound sharp and loud and echoing off the cliffs.

The lagoon was quiet for a few moments after the echoes died. Then a sound like a thousand cicadas filled the air. Danny looked down to see the ground around him seething like boiling water in a teakettle. He looked up at David again, his fear rendering him unable to ask the obvious question.

Pebbles and sand flew upward as roughly five thousand tiny scorpion-like robots swarmed from a dozen holes in the ground. The largest ones were barely half the length of David's thumb. They scrabbled around, over, and under each other for a few seconds, orienting themselves and growing accustomed to their surroundings. Then they turned as one and looked up at their builder, awaiting some unspoken order.

"Aren't they adorable?" David asked. "It took quite a while to fashion these little beauties. Human technology wasn't quite up to the task, so I had to invent most of the equipment myself. But it was well worth it, especially with our _beau loup gris _providing encouragement and intuitive insights." He gestured toward Embry, who coughed once in acknowledgment. "He helped me see where I was going wrong with them and I was able to finish my little ones in practically no time at all." He clapped again and the robo-scorps did an about-face to stare up at Danny.

The red-eye stared down at them and finally found his voice. "Please...don't do this," he said, his voice rising in pitch til he was practically sobbing. "We'll leave and never come back. We'll tell Rex that we couldn't find you, that you dropped off the face of the earth. We won't even go near Louisiana again for as long as we live. Just don't kill me, please!"

"Danny, you spineless bastard!" Mariah screamed. She jumped a few feet forward, trying to get past Seth, but the wolf grabbed her arm in his teeth and tore it off at the shoulder. He spat out the flailing appendage and headbutted her back into the cliff wall. He then kicked the arm with one foot, sending it flying; it wound up on the ground next to Danny's feet. Mariah clasped her injured shoulder, her furious glare promising retribution.

David shook his head, as if amazed that these red-eyes could be so obtuse. "All right, enough of this nonsense. It's time for _mes petits _to have their first meal," he said. He clapped his hands once and pointed at Danny. "He's all yours, my pets."

At those words, the robots swarmed forward in an arachnid tidal wave, crawling up Danny's legs. The vampire started screaming as they chewed him apart, their mandibles more than capable of cutting through his stone flesh. In seconds, they had completely covered his body and swarmed into his open mouth. His screams were cut off as his vocal cords disintegrated and the scorps responsible chewed through his throat and poured out of the resulting hole.

Once Danny stopped screaming, it took maybe three minutes total for the robo-scorps to render him and Mariah's arm down into nothing. All that was left was a few strands of hair, several scraps of cloth, and a small pile of finely ground powder. When their task was done, they piled on top of each other and rearranged themselves into a cube roughly four inches on each edge. David stepped forward and picked it up, smiling as he turned toward the one-armed red-eye.

"Wow," he said. "I knew they were efficient, but this goes beyond my wildest expectations." He walked over to his backpack and stashed the scorp-cube inside. Once it was safely stowed, he and Tyson headed over to Embry and Seth, who were still keeping vigil on their prisoner.

"So what are you going to do with me?" Mariah asked, sneering at the four of them. One could almost admire her chutzpah. She was standing tall, defiant even with one arm missing, and looking at them as if they were dog shit to be scraped off her shoe. "Even if you kill me, he's still coming after you."

"Oh, we know that," Tyson said, "and we'll prepare an appropriate welcome when the time comes. In the meantime, we're just going to let you go."

The wolves stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Tyson understood why they felt that way; he wasn't too happy about it himself. But killing her wouldn't stop Rex from eventually paying a visit and besides, Tyson _wanted _the smug bastard to know just what was waiting for him if he did come. He'd explain it to his husbands later; right now, they had to deal with a _very _pissed-off red-eye.

"Just go and never come back," he said. "If you do return, we'll let Seth finish what he started and then we'll feed your dismembered body to Dav's pets." He folded his arms and looked at her, waiting for a response. When none was forthcoming, he said, "Well? What are you waiting for? GO!"

The shouted last word galvanized her into action and she dashed into the water. She disappeared with nary a ripple and was gone in a second.

Embry and Seth phased back to human and stepped up beside the large vampire. Seth looked at him with a perplexed look on his face.

"Something wrong, _mon chere_?" Tyson asked.

"Not really," the wolf replied. "I'm just wondering why we didn't finish her. You know she's going to tell Rex everything she and Danny learned."

"I'm counting on it," Tyson said. "Killing her wouldn't have accomplished anything. Rex would come if she returned to him or not. This way, we control what she'll be able to tell him. And perhaps he'll think twice before he makes any traveling plans."

He pulled them to him and they hugged each other tightly. After a few moments, they let go and packed up to return home. It had been an eventful morning and their families needed to know every last detail. They had to start making plans for Rex's inevitable arrival.

**Author's note: **This one is a doozy and took practically forever to write. Storytelling can be a real bear, but it's a lot of fun too. You never know where it's going to go next, even if you plot out every scene. A character can act in ways that seem alien to his or her nature and things that made sense in your head can switch themselves around when they're written down. I don't know why it works that way; it just does. In any event, I hope you enjoyed it and as always, reviews are welcome. Thank you! :D


	16. Chapter 15: Elements Of Love

**Author's Note: **Getting near the end now. There were several moments when I thought that I'd never get this far. It's been one hell of a ride and I would like to thank the people whose words of support have meant so much since I started this tale back in June. On that note, time to launch into the second-to-last chapter.

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M/M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Chapter 15: Elements Of Love

"So you just let her go?" Emmett asked in disbelief. He was loud enough that the first-floor windows rattled in their frames.

The foursome had just finished telling their vampire family about the encounter at the lagoon; they'd already informed their wolf family and those worthy souls were currently scouring the forest and the beach, checking to see if Mariah had obeyed Tyson's command. There hadn't been any word thus far, which was a good thing.

"Calm down, big guy," David said. "It's nothing to get your boxers in a twist about. It's a pretty safe bet that once she reports to Rex, he'll kill her. So there's no need to go chasing after her." He settled himself in Embry's lap and wrapped his arms around the wolf's shoulders.

"Besides," Embry said, "Seth took a chunk off of her before she got away. She won't be able to do as much damage with only one arm." He frowned slightly and looked at Jasper. "Will she?"

"I wouldn't underestimate the ability of a vampire bent on revenge," Jasper replied. "Was she able to recover her arm?"

"No," Tyson said. "Dav's pets ate it at the same time they took her brother apart." He was standing in front of the glass wall, looking out at the river as it flowed by. "The little monsters are very efficient. They didn't leave any recognizable pieces behind."

Rosalie looked at David with an arched eyebrow. "Little robot scorpions?" she asked. "And they reduced him to dust in three minutes?"

David nodded.

"Nice," Rosalie said, the corners of her mouth tilting up. Tyson caught the tone of admiration in her words and thoughts and he smiled. The blonde had certainly changed her tune since they'd first arrived. Then, she'd hardly bothered with them; now she couldn't be prouder of her new little brothers.

"Very impressive," Jasper said.

"I'd love to take a look at them later, if you wouldn't mind," Rosalie said. "They sound like some pretty sophisticated gadgets." David beamed at the compliment.

"Well, at least this Mariah won't be coming back anytime soon," Alice said. "She's headed back home to give her report. It'll definitely give Rex a lot to consider."

"Just as I hoped she would," Tyson said. "Though the possibility is remote, it might give Rex some second thoughts about coming after us again. But part of me is sad that she won't live past tonight."

"She wouldn't have felt the same for us," Seth said. "I'm almost hoping that she _does _come back. I'd love a chance to finish what I started." His voice had an edge of bloodlust to it that was most unusual for the normally cheerful shifter.

David reached out with his telekinesis and pulled the young wolf onto the couch. He reached out one hand and laid it on Seth's cheek. "You won't have to, _chere_," he said. "Mariah won't survive the night. So please, don't trouble your soul with such dark thoughts." He followed this request with a short but passionate kiss.

"Okay," Seth said after it was over. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

"That's all we ask," David said. The worry in his eyes didn't go away, but it did fade somewhat.

Tyson didn't need his telepathy to know that he, David, and Embry would need to keep an eye on Seth for the foreseeable future. If he thought that it would have worked, he'd have asked Alice to look into the young wolf's future to see if Dav's worry was justified. But since Alice couldn't see the wolves in her visions, they would just have to trust in the whims of destiny to see them through whatever came their way.

Alice interrupted his musings with her usual enthusiasm. "Enough of the doom and gloom," she said. "It's time to celebrate!" Her grin was wide and dazzling.

"What's there to celebrate?" David asked.

"It's your vampire birthday, silly," Alice said. "You two are officially one year old today."

"And it's time for your present," Esme said. Her smile was more subdued than Alice's, but it was just as beautiful. She took Tyson by the arm and gently pulled him toward the back door.

"It's outside?" he asked.

"Yes," Esme replied. "Edward, Carlisle, and Bella are just putting the finishing touches on it. If we leave now, we should get there just as they're done." She turned to the three young men on the couch. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"You want me and Seth there?" Embry asked, mild shock coloring his tone.

"Of course, dear," Esme said. "This gift is as much for you and Seth as it is for David and Tyson."

David frowned in confusion, but he stood and pulled the wolves to their feet. "Well, let's go before I die of curiosity," he said. He was out the door faster than the human eye could see, pulling Embry and Seth with him. Tyson shook his head as he and Esme headed after them.

They vaulted across the river easily and headed south. Esme led the way with Tyson right behind her and David, Seth, and Embry at either side of him. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie stayed behind.

It was a quick trip, lasting only a couple of minutes. Esme started slowing as they neared the one-mile mark; the boys soon followed suit. They found themselves on the edge of a clearing; what the four lovers saw stopped them in their tracks and their jaws dropped.

The house was a beautiful two-story structure situated right next to the river, constructed of steel and glass. The semicircular design of the house curved gently away from the riverbank to blend into the cliff face that served as the rear wall. The first floor had a verandah that followed the curve of the wall, and the verandah's roof served as the second-floor balcony's walkway. Both floors had windows of shatterproof glass two inches thick. There was even a waterwheel for generating electricity; combined with the solar panels on the domed roof, the house was entirely self-sufficient in terms of energy production.

"Wow," Embry whispered. David, Seth, and Tyson echoed the sentiment. There wasn't much else to say; they were at a loss for words.

Carlisle came out onto the verandah and smiled as he saw them. "Ah, perfect timing," he said. "We just finished putting the final touches in place. Come and see."

The foursome started forward, climbing the four steps to the front door. Their eyes widened as they took in their surroundings.

The first-floor interior was one large open space with a spiral staircase to the right. To the left was a red half-circle couch facing a sixty-inch LCD television, with several red bean bag chairs scattered around an oval coffee table. The hardwood floor was a warm shade of brown that gleamed in the soft glow of the LED light fixtures. To the right was a set of bookcases filled with the boys' favorite books. There were a pair of red recliners and a couple more bean bag chairs in front of them. Tyson was starting to detect a theme.

Embry and Seth were exploring the kitchen area. The cabinets were made from the same wood as the floor and the countertops were black marble. The appliances all looked to be state-of-the-art; the refrigerator was the type that kept track of its contents and could order whatever foods needed to be replenished. The way Embry and Seth ate, that feature would come in handy.

David noticed two doors perpendicular to each other in the corner next to the kitchen; one was blue, the other red. "Where do those go?" he asked.

The red door slid open and Edward came out; once he was through, it slid closed again. "Ah, I see you've started the tour already," he said.

"Yes," Esme said. "The boys are just looking around a bit."

"Where do those doors go?" David repeated. There was an edge to his "voice" that said he expected an answer.

"Ah," Edward said. "These. I think you'll like what's behind these doors." He beckoned David over to the red door and it slid open as soon as the younger vampire got close enough. David gasped as he saw what was inside. "_Mon Dieu_," he said.

The room had been carved from solid rock; the walls were lined with racks of tools and tables filled with electronic parts of all sizes. The center of the room was dominated by a host of machinery that could do anything from assembling car engines to printing microcircuitry. A quick glance up at the ceiling revealed a pair of large steel-and-glass panels. David looked at Edward, thinking the obvious question.

"It's a retractable skylight," Edward explained. "In case you decide to build anything that can fly."

David's face lit up as possibilities flooded his mind. Tyson winced and said, "Thank you _so _much, Edward, for giving him that idea. Now he's not gonna stop til he's perfected his own personal jet pack."

"Don't be silly, _mon amour_," David said. "I'd build one for you too. And one each for our _loups beau_." He grinned as he scanned the tables and workbenches again, rubbing his hands together. "My own bleeding-edge workshop. Oh, the possibilities..."

Tyson grabbed him by the elbow and hauled him out of the door's sensor range. The red panel obediently slid shut again. "You'll have plenty of time to play in there later, _cheri_," the big vampire said. "Let's just finish the tour."

"But what about the blue door?" Seth asked. "What's back there?"

"That would be the entrance to the grotto," Bella said as she came down the stairs.

"Grotto?" Embry asked.

"Yes," Bella said. "I told Esme about this site two months ago. A perfect spot for a secluded romantic hideaway." She smiled and looked at each of the boys in turn. "That door opens into a cave that's never seen the light of day til we busted open the roof to make a skylight. We used some of the leftover window glass to make an octagonal panel so the pool could get some sunlight. We also installed waterproof LED lights around the rim in case you want to do some nighttime swimming."

"A pool?" Tyson said. "Won't it dry up without a source of water to maintain it?"

"No," Edward said. "There are two underground channels that branch off from the river; they maintain the water level in the grotto. One feeds the pool and the other drains it. We installed filters in both the entrance and the exit to prevent any contaminants or animals from getting in."

"What about the animals that were already there?" Seth asked. The concern was evident in his voice.

"There weren't any," Carlisle said. "The grotto was totally pristine. No sign that anything or anyone besides us had ever seen it, much less put it to use. So you shouldn't have any surprise guests of any species showing up during a swim."

"Thank you," Tyson said. "It's an amazing house, but you really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."

"It was no trouble at all," Esme said. "You're part of our family now, and we Cullens take care of our own. This is our gift to you, so that the four of you can be free to do as you please without having to worry about eavesdroppers." She darted over and hugged him, then did the same with David, Embry, and Seth. "Of course, this doesn't mean that you're not expected to drop by the main house every once in a while. I like to see my children at least once a day whenever possible."

"Yes, ma'am," David said. "We'll be over there so much that you'll get positively sick of us." He grinned and his rig let loose with a soft burst of chuckling.

"All right, it's time for us to go," Carlisle said. "We'll leave you to explore the rest of your new home. Try to keep it in one piece, please." He favored them with a small smile, as if sharing a private joke.

"Don't worry, sir," Tyson said. "We're not Emmett and Rosalie; we don't do demolition derbies." This comment got a round of laughs from everyone.

Embry was looking out the window and frowning. Tyson moved over next to him and asked, "Is there something wrong, _loup beau_?"

"Not really," Embry said. "I just feel like I know this place." His frown grew deeper as he thought harder and then his jaw dropped. "Oh! I remember now! This is the spot where I gave you that...!" He didn't get to finish his sentence, what with Tyson clamping his hand over the wolf's mouth.

"I don't think anyone else wants to hear about that," Tyson said as he released his grip.

Embry blushed as he realized the _faux pas_ he'd almost committed. He thought they'd dodged a bullet until he caught Edward's knowing smile reflected in the window pane; the blush only intensified.

"Well," Bella said, "we really should be going. The main bedroom is upstairs along with a guest room and bathroom. The main bathroom is right there between the kitchen and the stairs. I think you'll be able to figure out where everything is." She smirked and winked at David and Tyson. "Try not to exhaust them too much," she teased. "They do have patrol duty tonight."

If Tyson could still blush, he'd be redder than a tomato right about now. "We'll do our best, _chere souer_," he said. "May you all have a good evening. And thank you again for this generous gift." His smile was wide enough to show all his teeth; he couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so much.

"You're very welcome, dear," Esme said. "Come by tomorrow and let us know how you like it." She dashed out the door, Carlisle right behind her. Edward and Bella offered their birthday wishes and left as well, leaving the four young men to get to know their new home.

"This is a _really _cool house," Seth said. He looked at the stairs and grinned moments before he and Embry both launched themselves forward. The smaller wolf was just a skosh faster and he beat Embry to the main bedroom. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "Look at the size of this bed!"

The vampires wasted no time getting up the stairs. They found the wolves standing in front of a set of double doors, looking into the main bedroom.

The bed was round and large, easily taking up a third of the room's space. The thing looked big enough to sleep a family of six. There were pillows piled in front of the wrought-iron headboard; the sheets were white and the pillowcases red, as was the comforter. And where the living room area had a hardwood floor, the second story had red carpeting. There was no question about what would be going on in this room.

David took a couple of steps into the room, looking around and marveling at the level of detail in the color scheme. "Wow. This must've have taken them a while to finish, even with vampire speed," he said.

"Yeah," Seth said. He sniffed the air. "Huh. Smells like the packs helped with the painting. I'd know Sam's scent anywhere."

"We'll thank them tomorrow," Embry said. "There's just one question on my mind now."

"Let me guess," Tyson said. "Would it have something to do with the four gift-wrapped boxes on the bed?"

There were indeed four boxes on the bed, each one with a different-colored bow and a name on it. There was a note resting on the comforter. David picked it up and read it.

"Dear boys," he read, "here's a little something to help remind you of the bond you share. May your love grow stronger with time and help you remember this: that no matter how far apart you may be, you will always have each other. Love, Alice." He looked up at his lovers and gave them a small smile.

"What are these, Dav?" Seth asked.

"A little something I designed and asked Alice to take care of," David replied. "I didn't think she'd have them done so quickly. I only made the request a couple of weeks ago."

"What are they?" Embry asked.

"Let's open them and find out," Tyson said. He picked up the box with the green bow and lifted the lid. When he saw what was inside, he let out a low whistle. That made Embry pick up his gift, the one with the blue bow. His eyes widened as he got his first look at the contents. Seth's reaction was similar after he opened the red-bowed box. David opened the yellow-bowed box and they took out their gifts.

They each held an Egyptian-style necklace: a series of gleaming platinum links connected to a round medallion with a circular cabochon-cut gemstone in the center. Tyson studied the emerald in the center of his medallion and tried to find his voice again. When he did, his voice was huskier than usual and his eyes were pricking as if he were about to cry. "What are these for, _cheri_?"

"Like the note said, a reminder of our bond and a token of love. Each stone represents one of the four primal elements." David moved to Tyson and locked eyes with him. "Yours represents earth. Earth is the element of order and stability, and also of beginnings and endings. Like you, it is strong and supportive, ready to protect or punish when called on to do so." He kissed Tyson, a gentle and loving kiss.

David held up his own medallion, showing them the topaz stone in the center. "Mine represents air. Air is the element of intellect and creativity. My mind works like the wind, blowing in whatever direction it pleases. I'm just thankful that the wind blew in a direction that allowed me to protect my husbands."

"Amen to that," Embry said. He was still looking at his necklace, staring at the blue sapphire.

David moved over to Embry and lay one hand on the wolf's cheek. "Your stone represents water. Water rules over emotion, intuition, and common sense. Without your ability to think like water, I might never have devised the means to defend us today." He kissed Embry as gently as he had Tyson.

Finally, he moved to Seth. He reached up and tucked a finger under the young wolf's chin, lifting the warm brown eyes from the ruby to meet his golden gaze. "And last but certainly not least, your stone represents fire. It is the element of strength. And not just physical strength, but also strength of will. It embodies life and destruction, passion, courage, and sex. The love in your heart burns with the light of the brightest fire and Em, Ty, and I are lucky to have you in our lives." He kissed Seth like he had Embry and Tyson, gently and without any sense of urgency.

They stayed silent for a moment afterward; the air was thick with emotion and to speak now would have broken the spell. But Tyson did speak because they couldn't stay silent forever.

"They're beautiful, _cheri_," he said. "Now...could you help me put this on?"

David nodded and helped Tyson with his medallion, fastening the custom-made clasp with an inaudible snap. Tyson helped David with his; then they helped the wolves with theirs. By the time they were done, Seth was yawning.

"Time for the _loups _to sleep," Tyson said. "They've got patrol tonight."

He lay down on the bed, pulling Seth close and spooning him. David pulled Embry up next to the younger wolf and snuggled up close, throwing one leg across Embry's slender waist. They all closed their eyes and in seconds, they were all asleep or doing a very convincing impersonation of it.

And the fates looked down from their perch in Heaven and pronounced their work complete.

**Author's note: **This one came pretty easily, considering that it was a rush job. I had a bear of a time trying to describe the house in detail; I just hope I didn't spend too much time on the details. Up next is the finale, which will set things up for the first of two sequels. Please read and review, and let me know if a sequel is justified. Thank you. :)


	17. Epilogue: Only The Beginning

**Author's Note: **Here we are at last: the final chapter. It's almost sad, isn't it? Sometimes I felt as if I'd never be able to finish and yet here we are. It's been a wild ride, but even the best stories have to end sometime. And now, the last chapter of Elements.

**Rated M for violence, strong language, adult themes, and M/M/M/M love scenes**

**Disclaimer: **The Twilight books and characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing except my OC's.

Elements

Epilogue: Only The Beginning

_An abandoned warehouse ten miles outside of Seattle_

Right around the time her enemies were dropping off to sleep, Mariah finally reached the place that her daddy had chosen for their temporary home. It was truly hideous: broken windows, busted walls, rusty rebar poking out of the broken concrete, and profane graffiti on every exposed surface. No one in their right mind would be caught dead in such a place, especially so close to nightfall. But Mariah and her daddy weren't exactly alive.

She leaned on the burned remains of a doorframe, collecting her thoughts and mentally rehearsing what she was going to tell Rex. Sure, he'd told her and Danny to only observe and report back when they had enough information. But when they'd finally caught sight of their targets, their orders had flown right out of their heads and resulted in this clusterfuck that she was currently neck-deep in.

_Well_, she thought, _better get it over with. He may be a patient bastard, but he won't wait forever._

She pushed herself upright and headed up a flight of stairs to the second floor of the warehouse. Rex was standing in front of an intact window, watching as the sun slipped past the horizon. His skin glittered with the last light of the day. He smiled as she approached and turned to greet her. The smile vanished as he took in her tattered appearance and missing arm. He dashed forward and reached out with one hand, not quite touching the smooth crater that marked the injury.

"What the hell happened to you? Where's Danny?" he asked. There was a touch of concern in his voice, but it wasn't the kind she was expecting.

"We had some...trouble," she said. From there, she detailed the whole story. By the time she was finished, Rex was vibrating with anger. Mariah thought that he was angry about the way she had been injured. She was mistaken.

"I told you two to _observe and report only_. I did NOT tell you that you could engage them without my express orders!" Rex bellowed. He punched her in the face, knocking a few chips of her stone skin off of one cheek. He followed this with a backhanded blow to the other side, this time knocking out two of her teeth. Before she could recover, he had grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. She looked down into his furious red eyes; she'd never seen them blaze with such anger and she started trembling in fear.

It didn't stop her from trying to defend her actions. "But...Daddy..." she started. But Rex tightened his grip and she squeaked in pain.

"I also told you NEVER to call me that," he growled.

"O-okay, Rex," she said. "It's just that...I thought you _wanted _them dead. For what they did to Mom...Bon-Bon."

"Oh, I do," he said. "I want their heads on a fucking PLATE for what they did to her. But avenging my mate is MY right, not yours!" He tightened his grip even more, his fingers penetrating her skin and digging into her windpipe. "How could I have been so mistaken about you and your brother? You had such potential and you wasted it on two boys who could have killed you with a single blow."

He sighed and hung his head, lifting it back up after a few seconds. "No doubt the soldier thinks that by sparing you to tell me of your misbegotten blunder, it will cause me to renounce my quest for vengeance." The smile he gave Mariah sent a wave of mindless fear through her. She couldn't stop the trembling of her body as Rex headed over to a large hole in the floor and jumped.

They crashed through the rotted basement ceiling and landed next to the still-functioning furnace. Mariah's eyes widened as she realized what Rex was about to do.

"If he thinks that maiming you in this fashion is enough to make me reconsider, he is sadly mistaken," Rex said. "As for you, little girl, your usefulness to me is over."

Mariah's last conscious thought was of the targets and their warning. They had told her the truth: it wouldn't have mattered if she and Danny had succeeded in their ill-considered gambit. Rex would have destroyed them either way.

The last thing she saw before she lost her head was the night sky, clear and studded with stars.

/ \

Rex tossed the last piece of Mariah's corpse into the furnace. He watched as the stone flesh fizzled and then flared brightly before being reduced to ash. There was a final puff of acrid violet smoke and that was the end of it.

Rex sighed and shook his head. "What a waste," he said to no one. "She might still have been of some use if she hadn't been so pigheaded." He turned and strode over to the far wall. The flames of the furnace cast a baleful light, illuminating the portrait that Rex had painted while waiting for his pawns to return.

"Ah, well. Such things can never be certain. All we can do is hope for the best and plan for the worst," he said to the portrait. "My plans for the soldier and the savant have not changed. They've grown stronger, acquired allies, but none of that matters. In the end, they will fall before me; they will beg for mercy and their pleas will fall on deaf ears." He turned and took a few steps toward the furnace. When he was far enough away from the portrait, he turned back and said, "It will take time but in the end, they will pay for what they did to you, my dear. Them and everyone they cherish."

There was no response from the portrait. That was all right; Rex hadn't really expected one. But then, he _had _known Bon-Bon better than anyone. He had no doubt that she would approve.

"We're just getting started..."

_**Only The Beginning**_

**Author's Note: **And thus concludes my first-ever fanfic. I would like to thank everyone who read it and encouraged me to keep going. Without you, I might never have stuck with it. It was hard at times, but ultimately it was worth it. Writing is hard, but it is fun. Please read and review. Thank you. :)

**Author's Note 2: **There will be a sequel coming up in the next month or so. For now, I'm going to let my boys rest and recharge. They're going to need their energy for the hoops I'll set up for them. Til then, Stalled will have my undivided attention. Thank you again for all the support. Long Live Literacy! :D


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